by Joseph P. Tartaro | Executive Editor
Death forced its way into a motel room in Albuquerque, NM, on June 30, during an apparent robbery attempt of a traveling couple. But because the guests were legally armed and willing to fight for their lives, death found the would-be intruder.
Chuck de Caro and his wife, Lynne Russell, celebrate at a CNN anniversary party in June. (CNN photo)
The couple included a former CNN reporter, and Special Forces veteran who has also been a consultant to the Pentagon, Chuck de Caro, and his wide, former Headline News anchor and CNN reporter Lynne Russell. They were on a road trip from Washington, DC, to California, when they stopped to spend the night at the motel.
Russell said the gunman forced his way into their Motel 6 room through an open door after she had just returned from getting something out of the car. He pushed her into the room.
De Caro, who worked at CNN in the mid-1980s as special assignments correspondent, was coming out of the bathroom after taking a shower and saw Russell being held at gunpoint.
“He tried to change the guy’s mind,” Russell said.
The gunman wanted money and other valuables, she said.
She told him she would look in her purse to see what they had. She reached down and put into the purse one of two handguns the couple had in a side table. She gave the handbag to her husband. Both she and her husband have concealed pistol licenses.
The man’s behavior was increasingly erratic, Russell said. He told them to get a briefcase he saw.
The couple explained there was nothing of value in the bag, Russell said, but the man lunged at them and “went around the bed and then opened fire on Chuck. There was a firefight inside the room.”
De Caro was shot once in the leg and twice in the abdomen, but returned fire at close range in the motel room smaller than seven yards at its widest point.
He fired all the rounds in the first handgun, then picked up the other and shot the man, whom police identified in a statement as the “offender in the altercation.” He was found in the parking lot and later died at a hospital, CNN affiliate KOAT-TV in Albuquerque reported.
Local police later identified the dead man as 27-year-old Tomorio Walton from Memphis, TN. He was in violation of his parole, police said, and it was not clear how long he had been in the Albuquerque area. They also said that no charges were expected to be filed against de Caro.
Because de Caro and Russell are something of celebrities, the story of their shootout in New Mexico got more media attention than is customary in self-defense encounters. The story got immediate coverage from CNN, FoxNews, the Associated Press and other outlets besides newspapers, radio and television stations in Albuquerque.
Because de Caro was still recovering from his bullet wounds in a hospital before being transferred to his original destination in California, Russell was the focus of most media interviews.
On a July 6 FoxNews interview, Russell recapped the story, reported on her husband’s recovery progress, and thanked the right to keep and bear arms for keeping her and her husband alive during an armed robbery.
“I am really proud of him,” Russell said. “I thank him over and over for saving my life. He really is my hero.”
Russell also told FOX411 that having a gun “absolutely” saved their lives.
“The discussion over the debate to own a gun is just ridiculous. As Americans we have the right to bear arms and as humans the right to protect ourselves. I’m sure that the man who shot my husband did not have a gun permit. Criminals will always have guns. The rest of us legally obtain our gun permits.”
Russell and de Caro have been long time advocates for carrying guns legally. The author of “Hell on Heels” explains the decision should be an individual one, and those who do not want to carry should not weigh in on the gun control conversation.
“If you don’t want to carry please don’t. Then, shut the f–k up about it. Make your own decisions. “
This self-defense encounter even made People Magazine, where Russell was quoted further on her views on the right to keep and bear arms, and her respect for de Caro.
“I’m so grateful to him. He literally is my hero. He saved my life. I’m grateful that he is a responsible gunowner. He’s former Special Forces. He knows how to handle himself.”
