TACOMA, Wash. — It was an emotional reunion Thursday for a Tacoma woman and the officers that saved her life.
Selena Loredo said she never could have expected what happened to her on July 21, when her ex-partner showed up at her home with a gun and refused to let her leave. Loredo was ultimately shot several times.
On Thursday, she returned to Tacoma Police Department to thank the officers and members of the SWAT team, from Tacoma and Pierce County, who saved her life.
“Without them, I probably wouldn’t have been here,” she said.
The incident happened early in the morning. Officers on the scene were told the suspect had locked all doors and windows to trap Loredo inside.
“The suspect was possibly experiencing a mental health crisis,” said Tacoma Police Capt. Eric Scripps.
Body-worn camera footage captured the tense moments when officers broke a window to rescue Loredo’s three children from a different part of the complex.
Meanwhile, Loredo’s stepfather ran toward danger. He entered the home and refused to leave her side during the ordeal.
“What drove you to make that brave choice?” KIRO 7′s Madeline Ottilie asked.
“It’s the love of that child,” said Juan Avina.
Hours of negotiations ended in gunfire. The suspect shot Loredo several times before ultimately, killing himself.
“I remember the sound of the gun,” Loredo said. “Next, I remember seeing the eyes of a SWAT officer as he entered my house.”
The past few months have been difficult. Loredo initially underwent six hours of emergency surgery, followed by a three-week stay in the hospital. She’s had five surgeries to date.
On Thursday, the darkness got a bit brighter, by a step forward only possible by looking back.
“It’s very touching to actually like touch these people and look them in the face and hear their voices,” she said. “To be able to say thank you is everything for me.”
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