SAN ANTONIO – An East Side woman said reading the Bible might have saved her life Monday when bullets came ripping through the home she's lived in for more than 30 years.
The gunfire was the result of an officer-involved shooting that took place next door on Westfall Avenue near South Olive Street.
Police said they were forced to open fire on an armed robbery suspect who shot at them first.
“I got really scared when I saw the cops shooting. I’m like, 'Oh, my God, it is a shooting.' I thought it was firecrackers,” said Maria Flores, who began Monday afternoon like most others -- reading the Bible. “I was studying because I give Bible study at church.”
Around 2 p.m. Monday, her peace was interrupted.
“I saw the police shooting at this guy that was walking this way, and all of a sudden, he just went down with his hands up and he had something in his left hand," Flores said.
Flores said three bullets from the shooting hit her home and one ended up inside.
“All of a sudden, it got all dusty. Like, 'Oh, my God, where is this coming from?' And it was (coming) from the ceiling. (The bullet) hit the side of the ceiling fan,” Flores said. “I just ran to my mom’s room and made sure she was OK. She's under hospice care. She's 94. She was fine.”
Flores said she believes if it weren't for her practicing her faith, she may have been in a different part of the house during the shooting, possibly with a very different outcome.
“This just telling me that God (said), 'Hey, I’m with you. I am with you, and I’ll always be with you.'”
Police have not confirmed whose bullet hit Flores’ home.
The officers who were involved have been placed on paid administrative leave for the time being as a standard procedure.