Palmdale woman shot in face trying to fight off man who kidnapped her daughter
A Palmdale woman was shot in the face as she attempted to fight off a kidnapper at her home on Sunday.
The incident was reported to have occurred near 11th Street East and Avenue R just before 10:30 p.m., when a "man entered the woman's residence and shot her in the face before taking the child and leaving," according to Lieutenant Thomas Kim with Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.
They say that he followed the woman as she went to open her apartment door on Sunday, asking to come inside because someone was chasing him. Despite her saying no, he forced himself inside and attempted to attack her with a hammer before she ran to grab her handgun from the bedroom.
However, she was overpowered and the suspect used the gun to shoot her.
She was rushed to the hospital where she underwent surgery for her wounds and at latest, was said to be showing stable vital signs.
"She was holding her head with a towel trying to stop the bleeding," said a friend of the woman's, who noted it was good to see she was still conscious enough to do so.
After shooting the woman, the suspect grabbed her daughter and ran down the street, chased by her father, who had just arrived at their apartment. The suspect held the father at gunpoint before deputies arrived, at which point he turned the firearm on the girl before complying with their demands to drop the weapon.
According to authorities, the woman did not know the attacker, whom authorities have identified as 34-year-old Erin Mauldin. He was arrested for charges of attempted murder, kidnapping and assault with a deadly weapon and was being held on $1 million bond.
Despite living in what looked to be a gated community, residents don't exactly consider the area safe.
"This is a bad neighborhood. Period," said one man who lives nearby, who heard two gunshots Sunday night. "There's always shootings."
Mauldin is scheduled for arraignment on Tuesday.
