BURIEN, WA – María Teresa Contreras Herrera, an 88-year-old great-great-grandmother, was fatally wounded in her sleep early Wednesday morning, the family has confirmed. The incident occurred when her home in Washington State was externally besieged by a rain of bullets just after midnight, puncturing the residence. Herrera, affectionately known as “Gramita,” was one of 14 occupants in the house when the shooting triggered.
The cul-de-sac household, conspicuous with scatterings of children’s playthings in their forefront, had more than 70 evidence markers placed around it and along its street by investigators post-incident. The King County Sheriff’s Office confirmed the receipt of multiple gunshot reports from neighbors, with several rounds striking the home.
Eyewitness accounts from two neighbors revealed harrowing details from the moments following the gunfire. They report being alerted of Herrera’s wounded state as one of her grandchildren ran out of the house, resulting in them rushing over to provide first aid.
Despite the immediate intervention by these neighbors and the subsequent arrival of deputies and medics to administer life-saving efforts, Herrera didn’t survive. The pair of neighbor Samaritans also reported analyzing a surveillance video showing four individuals garbed in hoodies and masks as they discharged gunshots toward the house. They noted the visible damage inflicted by the bullets, with every front-facing window and the main door being hit.
In a statement, the family disclosed Herrera as the matriarch to six children, 24 grandchildren, 33 great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren, along with “105 other family members.”