Woman who shot an alleged purse snatcher says her gun saved her life

When Lachelle Hundgins pulled into her Houston apartment complex sometime around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, she realized she was not alone.

According to Houston police spokesman Kese Smith, Hundgins told investigators that she was rolling up her windows when she noticed five or six youths between the ages of 15 and 20 standing by a mailbox. Five of them began to approach her vehicle, she said, and they were armed.

At first, "I couldn't do anything except scream," Hundgins, who is 28, told ABC13.

But when one man reached through a partially opened car window to grab her purse, Hundgins grabbed her handgun out of her bag and fired two rounds, striking her assailant, police say. Hundgins told police the other men fled, and authorities have not been able to locate them.

As Americans debate gun-control efforts after recent mass shootings in El Paso and Odessa, Texas, gun-rights advocates have pointed to Hundgins' story to emphasize their argument that guns are necessary for self-defense.

"It was all I had in my gun. I shot until I couldn't shoot anymore," Hundgins, told ABC 13. "I saved my life."

Officers responding to the shooting found a male juvenile with gunshot wounds, police said. He was taken to a hospital, according to Smith, and his condition prevents him from speaking with investigators.

The Houston district attorney declined to charge Hundgins in the incident, Smith said. Texas requires a license to carry handguns in public, though they are not permitted in places such as airports. Texas also has a "stand your ground" law, known as its "Castle Doctrine," which allows people to use deadly force to defend themselves under certain circumstances.

The juvenile who was shot has not yet been charged, Smith said, because "it's possible that the individual who was shot may be the suspect, but that hasn't been definitely determined yet." Smith could not confirm surveillance video existed, but said authorities would examine footage if it was available.

Hundgins' story drew national attention on Tuesday and Wednesday, after the National Rifle Association retweeted ABC 13's interview with her. Houston congressman Dan Crenshaw, R, used the story to argue against universal background checks, tweeting that under such legislation he couldn't let friends borrow his handgun.

His tweet drew criticism from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who said that lending guns to people could lead to potential domestic abusers obtaining firearms.

Texas has suffered two high-profile mass shootings this summer. In early August, a gunman killed 22 people at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart as families shopped for school supplies. Among the dead were Jordan and Andre Anchondo, who authorities say died while shielding their baby from the flying bullets. Over Labor Day weekend, an attempted traffic stop led to an unexpected barrage of gunfire from the driver that left seven people dead and over 20 people wounded in Odessa and Midlands, Texas, authorities said.

One day later, on Sunday, several new gun laws went into effect in Texas that affirmed or enhanced its residents' rights to keep and carry guns.

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