Sleeping Family’s Washington Home Turned Into War Zone as Gunmen Unleash 50+ Bullets in 10 Seconds As They Slept, Woman Shot 5 Times In Her Bed
48 days ago
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A family in Tacoma is counting its blessings after surviving a terrifying late-night gun attack in which masked shooters riddled their home with bullets while they slept.
The apparently random assault unfolded in seconds, with three gunmen firing more than 50 rounds in around 10 seconds, spraying the family's house with gunfire and turning bedrooms into war zones. It is only sheer luck, the family says, that no one was killed.
Emma Taylor was asleep when the attack began and woke to what she described as “explosions everywhere.”
“I felt like something fell off the wall and stabbed my chest,” she said. “That’s when my foot was bleeding everywhere.”
Security footage from a Ring doorbell shows the gunmen approaching the property moments before opening fire. Bullets tore through walls, furniture and bedding, with one projectile later found in Emma’s bed.
Emma was struck five times, including a bullet that went through her ankle, while others grazed her arm and chest — some passing dangerously close to her heart.
“My chest was bleeding. My sweatshirt had holes in it,” she said. “I’ve never really experienced pain like this.”
Pointing to her ankle, Emma said one round entered near the top before exiting. “I don’t know how it didn’t go straight through,” she added. “Pieces of my skin are just gone and there are sutures.”
Inside the home, the damage tells a chilling story. Bullet holes line the walls, and a deflated air mattress shows where one round passed clean through, narrowly missing Emma as she slept.
Her father, Stephen Taylor, said four other family members were inside the house at the time.
“I heard my daughter screaming about being shot,” he said. “By the time I got there they were helping apply pressure to the wound.”
Emma was rushed to hospital in shock. “I kept trying to look at the wounds, and the paramedic told me not to look at them,” she said.
Stephen later pointed to a graduation photo riddled by bullets. “This one went right through there,” he said. “You can see the trajectory. Shot up the gutters and into the roof.”
Police recovered 57 shell casings from the scene, including one found in Emma’s bedding after officers shook out the blankets.
Investigators from the Tacoma Police Department say the suspects remain at large.
While the house can be repaired, the family says the emotional toll will last far longer.
“There are bullet holes all over the place,” Stephen said. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Emma had already been juggling two jobs while studying to become a medical assistant, and relatives have since launched an online fundraiser to help cover medical bills, lost income and repair costs. The family is also grateful that their eight pets survived the attack.
Emma’s sister, Megan Taylor-Smart, rushed to the hospital after hearing what happened. Although she was not home at the time, she said the house has been in the family for decades, and nothing like this has ever happened before.
“My whole family almost got killed,” she said.
For Emma, the fear has not faded. “It is scary knowing these people are still out there,” she said.
Police are urging anyone with information to come forward as the hunt for the gunmen continues.
