10-year-old takes bullet for mom

A 10-year-old boy is being called a hero, for saving his family from gun-wielding intruders.

The boy was shot during a home invasion Wednesday in Valencia County near Tome, N.M. Family members said the boy is expected to be okay.

As of Thursday evening, New Mexico State Police were still searching for the two men who broke into the home.

Family members, who asked not to reveal their names, described being held at gunpoint inside the home, during what they are referring to as the scariest experience of their lives.

"I heard the thumping on the door, then I heard screaming, and then I heard, 'get on the ground!'," a 19-year-old sister said, as she described the chilling moments when two thugs could have killed her entire family.

The teenager was inside the home with her mom, a 24-year-old brother and younger brother, 10, when two men walked in through an unlocked front door.

"I ran up to them and I said, 'what are you doing,' and the man in the ski mask pointed a shot gun to my face, and told me to get on the ground," the older brother said.

Family members explained, their mother was hiding in a room with her 10-year-old son, trying to hold the door closed when the intruders busted through it, and grabbed the mom.

She was held with a gun pointed against her head in the living room, when her 10-year-old son lunged at the intruder with full force and tackled him to the ground.

At that moment, the suspect shot the boy point blank in his arm, below his elbow.

"You see your little brother get shot, actually shot, and that was probably the worst moment of my life," the sister said. "That's when I got up, grabbed a phone and ran outside, and hid behind the shed and called the police."

"(I thought) they were just going to kill us all after they shot my brother," the older brother said.
But due to the quick-thinking and bravery of the 10-year-old, the entire family survived the ordeal.
"He's a hero," his dad said. "He just mentions it over and over, 'I got shot but I jumped in front of the bullet,

I got shot but I saved mom,' but he's proud, he's proud of himself."

After shooting the boy, the intruders took off running and left gloves and ski masks behind.

"It was real dreamy, like hazy, I can't even believe that it happened," the older brother said. "I'm still in shock."

The father said his 10-year-old son's biggest concern now is whether he will still be able to play baseball the way he used to.

"I'm just very happy that my son is alive, my older son and daughter are alive, my wife is alive and we're still together," his father said.