Grandmother protecting herself and her 4-year-old grandson shoots auto theft suspect who broke into her home, cops say

A New Mexico grandmother protecting herself and her 4-year-old grandson shot an auto theft suspect who broke into her home Friday night.

What are the details?

Albuquerque police said they tried to pull over a stolen truck near Central and Cypress around 8 p.m. and used spike strips to flatten the tires, the Albuquerque Journal reported, citing a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court.

Police told the paper the truck was “on its rims” and crashed into a curb near Candelaria and Rio Grande NW.

The driver ran into the neighborhood, and police made a perimeter to search the area, the Journal said.

A woman who was with her 4-year-old grandson told police she heard someone inside her home, the paper said, adding that she confronted the male who “appeared to be angry” and told her he “just needed her keys.”

The woman told police she thought about arming herself but “did not know if she had time to use the weapon” if the intruder also had a gun, the paper reported, citing the complaint.

The woman told police she took the intruder to a “bowl of keys” in the kitchen, and the male took several keys and left, the Journal reported.

Police said the woman told them she then grabbed a gun and took her grandchild into a bedroom — but she said she discovered the intruder back in her hallway “demanding more keys," the paper said.

With that, the woman told police she pointed the gun at the intruder and “told him to get out” — but he began approaching her instead, the Journal said, citing the complaint.

The woman told police she was scared “he would kill her or her grandchild,” and she shot him once, the paper reported.

The woman told police the intruder fell to the ground and began “crawling through the halls asking for water,” the Journal said, adding that the woman said she “put pressure on his wound until police arrived.”

The woman called 911 around 9:30 p.m., arriving officers detained the burglar — identified as 32-year-old Joseph Rivera — at the home, and the woman gave police the gun she used to shoot him, the paper said.

Police told the Journal that Rivera is charged with burglary, attempted burglary, and auto theft, and will be booked into jail after he's released from the hospital.

Grandmother charged after 2 baby grandchildren die in her care in less than a year, daughter says her mother 'needs to go to prison'

A Florida grandmother is facing criminal charges after her two grandchildren died while under her care. The daughter of the accused woman is demanding that her own mother be sent to prison following the deaths of her two young children.

Kaila Nix asked her mother to babysit her 7-month-old daughter Uriel Schock for two hours as she went to a hair appointment on Nov. 22, 2022. Tracey Nix, a former school principal, gladly agreed to babysit her grandchild.

The 65-year-old grandmother went to lunch with her friends and then drove home with Uriel in the backseat of her Lexus SUV. Tracey went inside her home – where she talked to her dog and practiced piano for a "long time," according to WFTS-TV.

One of Tracey's grandsons visited her, and "all of a sudden" it "came across her head" that she left baby Uriel in the SUV, according to the complaint affidavit.

Tracey told detectives that she "just forgot" that Uriel was in the backseat.

Temperatures reached 90 degrees outside Nix's home in Wauchula, and the windows were rolled up on the SUV.

Her husband, Nun Ney Nix, ran to the car, and began performing CPR on the baby. However, it was too late — Uriel died from the extreme heat.

Shockingly enough, another one of Tracey's grandchildren also died under her care less than a year earlier. Days before Christmas 2021, Kaila's other child died while Tracey was supposed to be watching 16-month-old Ezra.

On Dec. 23, 2021, Nun Ney Nix called the infant's father, Drew Schock, and told him, "Something happened to Ezra."

Drew informed Kaila about the situation involving their son.

Kaila rushed to her parents' home — driving as fast as 85 MPH on country roads. She became distracted by a helicopter landing near her parents and ran through a stop sign. Kaila, who was six months pregnant at the time, was involved in a head-on collision with another car.

"All of my airbags went off, I don’t remember how I got out, but I got out and started running to my parents' house and at this point, I don’t have shoes. I’m just running," Kaila told the news channel. "That was my desperation to get to my son."

Kaila said that her doctor advised her to avoid any stressful situation that could cause her to lose her pregnancy.

"They withheld information from me, per my request, per my doctor’s advice, that any information that would work me up or make me emotionally distressful would be harmful to my unborn child," Kaila explained. "And I knew in that moment that as much as I loved him, that she was a real life, and she was coming, and it would be wrong of me to lose her over him, and hurt her and take her."

When she was supposed to be watching Ezra, Tracey had reportedly fallen asleep while her husband was running errands. Tracey found the infant boy lying face down in knee-deep water at a pond near her home. She attempted to resuscitate Ezra with CPR, but he was unresponsive and already dead.

Kaila and Drew never saw the incident report on how their son died under the supervision of Tracey.

A deputy allegedly informed Kaila, "I was told unless I believed that my mom held my son’s head under the water and intentionally killed him, that there is nothing else that they can do about my son’s death."

Schock said, "And that it actually just f***ing happened twice. In our lifetime."

Kaila added, "There wasn’t a moment to get a grip of the death of my son before there was the life of my daughter."

She said that she named her daughter Uriel because it means "God is my light" in Hebrew.

The state attorney's office said there wasn't enough evidence to establish culpable negligence and told ABC Action News, "In cases involving the accidental drowning of a toddler, Florida appellate courts have stated that a one-time lapse of judgment would not establish culpable negligence of the caretaker."

However, Nix was charged with aggravated manslaughter in the death of Uriel Schock.

Tracey's attorney, William Fletcher, said that the grandma is "totally devastated." He added that there are "no winners here."

If Nix is found guilty, she could be sentenced to between 12 and 30 years in prison.

Schock said, "I want justice for my son. I want justice because he didn’t get that. And now I got to sit here and expose this. That way, I don’t let what happened to my son happen with my daughter. And just get off scot-free because I couldn’t live with that as a parent."

Kaila declared, "If I’m objective — she needs to go to prison. As her daughter, it kills me to say it. As their mother, I demand it. I will fight for them."

Toddler drowns, infant left in hot car less than a year apart at grandma’s house www.youtube.com

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Grandmother survives after being accidentally shot by 6-year-old granddaughter

A 57-year-old woman says that her 6-year-old granddaughter accidentally shot her, according to the North Port Police Department in Florida.

The incident occurred on Thursday when the young child got a gun that was in a vehicle and accidentally shot it, hitting the woman.

"Shortly before 3 p.m. Thursday, NPPD was called to the 4200 block of Tollefson Avenue for a reported accidental discharge of a firearm in a moving vehicle. A 57-year-old woman reported that her 6-year-old granddaughter got ahold of a firearm in the backseat of the vehicle and accidentally fired a single shot through the driver seat, striking her in the lower back. The weapon was originally located in a holster, tucked in the back pocket of the driver seat, beneath a seat cover," the police department noted in a Facebook post.

"The grandmother was able to drive home and receive assistance. After calling 911, the grandmother was airlifted to Sarasota Memorial Hospital in Sarasota with non-threatening injuries. Detectives immediately began an investigation. An interview of the child was conducted by those with the Child Protection Center in North Port. All other parties involved were also questioned. At this time, the explanations corroborate an accidental discharge," the post states.

North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison urged people to ensure that kids cannot gain access to guns.

"This is an unfortunate example of the importance of gun safety. Please take appropriate measures to make sure children cannot access firearms. This could have been much worse, not only for the grandmother, but for the child. Thankfully, it appears that everyone is going to be okay," Garrison said, according to the Facebook post.

The department's post describes the matter as "an ongoing investigation."

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Grandmother in Oklahoma accused of beating 3-year-old granddaughter to death, leaving her in a trash bin

An Oklahoma woman is in custody today facing first-degree murder by child abuse charges for the death of her 3-year-old granddaughter.

According to the police, 61-year-old Becky Vreeland of Oklahoma City had recently been granted custody of three grandchildren, all under 5 years old, including 3-year-old Riley Lynn Nolan. Then, late last month, Kyle Nolan, Vreeland's son and the father of the children, went to Vreeland's home to visit. When he inquired about Riley, he was told that she was sleeping. He then went looking for her and discovered her lifeless body in a trash can.

“We ended up finding her, we ended up finding her in the recycle bin,” said Nolan. “I can’t sleep at night. Every time I close my eyes, I just think about her.”

An official statement from Oklahoma City PD claims that when police arrived, they found Riley "in a residential trash receptacle" and that she "had obvious signs of trauma to her body."

They also claimed that she had been dead for some time before her body was discovered.

"The child had been dead for a period of time at least," MSgt. Gary Knight told reporters. "It hadn't just happened."

Riley's death has devastated her family and the local community.

“I just don’t understand what could have provoked anything and then once I found out how it happened, it killed me,” Nolan said. “And on top of it, I lose my mom, too.”

“I’ll always love my mom,” Nolan continued. “That’s my mom. She raised me. She did everything for me, and that’s why I never dreamed something like this could happen.”

Kyle Nolan had just been released from custody himself when he went to visit Riley and her two siblings at Vreeland's home. He and the mother of the children were arrested for child neglect last August when the two older Nolan kids were found wandering a mobile home park unattended.

Vreeland's neighbor, Marsha Brannum, is similarly bewildered by the events.

"I could have been some more assistance for her if she was having trouble," Brannum said. "That kind of shocks me. I don't understand it because she seemed like a very hardworking grandmother, and I could hear her play with the children in the backyard. I wish I had paid more attention."

One woman claims she did pay more attention and that she reported her concerns about Vreeland to DHS, to no avail. The woman, who remains anonymous, said, "This 100% could have been prevented and something needs to be done about this.”

“Her behavior was very impatient with the children, definitely not a normal grandmother situation,” said the woman.

“It's like you’re really helpless because you sound all the alarms, call all the people, and let them know and even have news stories about situations they are involved in, and nobody does anything.”

Vreeland denies killing Riley and insists that Riley fell into the garbage can. She was scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday. Her bond has been set at $5 million.

'I'm not dying today': Grandmother outwits, fights attackers after being severely beaten, threatened with her life in quaint Iowa wine shop where she works

A grandmother summoned her considerable wits and strength to fight back against a pair of attackers who trapped her late last month inside a quaint wine shop in East Davenport, Iowa, where she works.

Even after enduring a severe beating and being threatened with rape and death, four words steeled resolve in the courageous woman's mind: "I'm not dying today."

What are the details?

The grandmother — who's name isn't used in the Sioux City Journal's story about the harrowing ordeal — was alone at work in Wide River Winery in East Davenport on April 28.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

Liz Quinn, the outfit's chief of operations, told the paper a man and woman walked into the shop around 5 p.m. and proceeded to give the grandmother the creeps.

In a separate incident, a stone was thrown through one of the winery's doors, and the duo said they know who did it, the paper said.

"She thanked them and told them they could leave," Quinn recalled to the paper. "They told her several times not to call the cops. As soon as they left, she called another co-worker and said, 'I got a really bad feeling from them.'"

The grandmother was locking up the shop when the man and woman returned 10 minutes later, the paper said.

Quinn told the paper the man said, "I told you not to call the [expletive] cops." Quinn then said "he hit her in the head with his fist. She said she screamed louder than she's ever screamed. She was screaming, and the village [of East Davenport] heard her."

A merchant driving by with his window down heard the screams, as did an approaching customer, the Journal reported, adding that they both called 911.

'He told her he could rape her or kill her'

"The guy ... started beating her head on the floor, saying he wanted the money and the surveillance video," Quinn told the paper. "She told him to take the money … and go, but he wanted that video. He told her he could rape her or kill her because he had a knife."

That's when the grandmother exercised admirable presence of mind and cunning.

She couldn't fight both of them, so the grandmother hatched a plan to separate them in the hopes she'd be left alone with the woman and overpower her, the paper said. So she told her assailants the video was in the basement — but man told the woman to look for it, and he continued beating the grandmother, the Journal said.

"He was trying to choke her, and she remembered saying to herself, 'Not today. I'm not dying today," Quinn recounted to the paper.

The woman returned without the video, so the grandmother summoned her wits once more and told the pair she had forgotten and suggested that the man should look upstairs for the video, the paper said.

He did.

"When he went upstairs, she saw her chance," Quinn told the Journal, though it would come with big risks. "He had told the girl, if she moved, she should stab her."

Turning the tables, big time

With that, the grandmother grabbed a wooden stool at a table near the door and swung it at the woman, Quinn told the paper.

"With the tasting-room stool, she clocked that girl," Quinn added to the Journal. "She reached the door and the girl yelled, 'She's getting away!' The guy comes back, and he grabs her by the hair, pulling her back in. She then grabbed one of the aluminum chairs off the deck and hit him with it."

The paper said that was when police arrived, which sent the pair back into the winery, Quinn said, adding that officers nabbed the suspects.

Image source: YouTube screenshot

But it wasn't exactly a breeze, as "police had to use the taser on [the man] three times," Quinn noted to the Journal.

Who are the suspects?

Christopher Lavelle Mitchell, 35, and Emilee Rose Haberling, 20, were charged with one count each of first-degree kidnapping, first-degree robbery, interference with official acts, and harassment of public officers and employees, Davenport police said.

The department added that Haberling also was charged with first-degree theft and obstructing 911. The Journal said Mitchell has an extensive criminal record.

As of Wednesday, both Mitchell and Haberling were in the Scott County Jail on no bond.

'She's just so strong'

Police told the paper that the grandmother suffered a fractured eye socket, a broken collar bone, and had clumps of hair pulled from her scalp leaving bald spots, as well as bleeding and bruising.

Despite the physical, mental, and emotional trauma the victim suffered, Quinn told the paper the first thing she told her co-workers was that she was glad it was her and not them.

"She's just so strong," Quinn added to the Journal. "She has a daughter and grandkids, and she thought it through. She decided she was going to fight. I found one of her earrings under the ice machine. That's how violent it was."

'I don't think he was planning on leaving a witness'

Casey Maher, a co-worker of the victim, went to the winery shortly after the attack and helped clean up blood and speak with police, the paper said: "I just don't understand the level of cruelty. That guy was waiting for the surveillance video. I don't think he was planning on leaving a witness. The first time I talked to her, she said she was so grateful it wasn't one of us. She was afraid if it had been someone smaller or one of us got too scared to fight, we'd be having a funeral. She was glad it wasn't us. Can you believe that?"

Wide River Winery Attackyoutu.be

Grandma flips table, uses it to knock down customer who attacked daughter, infant grandson in her restaurant

Especially in these wacky times, you never know when somebody might lose it for the most insignificant reasons.

But keep in mind, too, that you never know how willing some folks to stand up to violence — even grandmothers.

What are the details?

Surveillance video showed a woman at Panchitas Pupuseria in San Francisco's Mission District becoming agitated while waiting for a to-go order late last month, KGO-TV reported.