RICHMOND, VA — A grandmother’s holiday plans have been dashed after a gunman opened fire on her home in Richmond’s northside Monday night.
Bessie Neblett, 86, said she was so upset by the violence that she is preparing to take down her decorations and may not even cook for her family this Christmas.
“I knew it was time. That’s all I could say,” said Neblett, saying that she thought her life was ending as bullets flew into her 3rd Avenue home. “It sounded like it was 25 or 30 (shots).”
Fortunately, she and her family are alright, but her entire house is now riddled with bullet holes. Some shots went all the way through the home, from the front porch to the back.
“I’d just like to ask why he shot up my house?” Neblett said.
She was watching the Washington Redskins game when she heard a knock on her front door. She says she did not answer, but instead walked to her bedroom window to see who it was.
The grandmother watched from upstairs as an unidentified man stepped away from her house, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a handgun.
“He shot one time and I fell on the floor, then he kept on shooting and kept on shooting,” she said.
One room over, Neblett’s son, Leon Sneed, was taking cover on the floor of his own bedroom.
“In 45 years, that’s the first time somebody ever shot around here,” Snead said of his childhood home.
Now working with insurance adjusters to assess the damage, for Neblett and her family, this will be a Christmas marked by fear, but also by an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
“The good Lord above had his eyes on me,” Neblett said. “And I thank him for it.”
The suspect left the scene after opening fire on the house. Detectives are investigating the incident.
