A young mother successfully defended her children and home from armed thugs who shot her twice during a ferocious gun battle in Illinois, according to reports.
The harrowing incident unfolded in Decatur on Feb. 10, but details just came to light this week.
Alexia Templar was home alone with her two daughters, both under the age of two, when she heard men breaking into her residence.
“In that moment, I can’t panic. I have two daughters who need me in this moment and need me to protect them,” Templar told WCIA.
She says she called her partner and he advised her to grab a firearm, which she had never done before.
“As soon as I see them, I say to them, ‘I have a gun, so get out of my house, or I will shoot you.’ As soon as I said that, they started immediately firing at me, both the people,” Templar explained.
Templar says she was holding her baby in her arms as she was struck by multiple rounds.
She returned fire, forcing the suspects to flee.
Miraculously, the baby was not hit and Templar was able to shelter the children until her partner could rush her to a local hospital, where she was treated for two non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.
JUST IN: Mother forced to defend her family after 3 armed intruders broke into her new home, leaving her shot twice as one of her children was in her arms during the shooting.
— Dapper Detective (@Dapper_Det) February 17, 2025
30 bullet holes in her home. 4 from her gun which saved her children’s lives.
Shoot, like she did #2A pic.twitter.com/FcoP67GlPZ
Authorities tracked down three suspects, one of whom had reportedly been shot by Templar.
Deonte Stone, 24, and Colton Clark, 25, and an unnamed 16-year-old were all arrested and charged with attempted murder, home invasion, and aggravated battery with a firearm.