Family pays tribute to Burien grandmother killed by gunmen

Family pays tribute to grandmother killed by gunfire

Family members are paying tribute to the 88-year-old grandmother who was killed after a group of gunmen targeted the family's home early Wednesday morning.

BURIEN, Wash. - Family members are paying tribute to the 88-year-old grandmother who was killed after a group of gunmen targeted the family's home early Wednesday morning.

Investigators say Maria Teresa Contreras Herrera was asleep in her room when more than 80 rounds were fired directly at the house, then the suspects took off.

They weren't ready for a full interview today, but the family says she was one of the most loving people you could hope to meet.

They counted around 10 shots that made it into her bedroom, which was on the second floor of the home that night.

In fact, one of her family members told me he chased the gunmen down the street and saw them get into a red getaway car parked about a block away.

"She was a nice old lady," said a neighbor, who wanted to remain anonymous.

Neighbors say that Maria Teresa Contreras Herrera was everyone's grandma in the neighborhood.

They say the 88-year-old treated everyone with kindness and could often be seen spending time with her grandkids.

Family members say this picture was taken in the garage during a birthday celebration:

"I seen her out here a couple of times with her grandbabies, like I said it’s a tight community," said the neighbor. "Unfortunately, grandmother passed away."

Family members told me she spent her days relaxing on the porch or in the backyard and was fond of taking trips back to Mexico. They say she'd just returned from one of those trips when she was shot and killed while sleeping in her upstairs room.

They say her upstairs bedroom was one of the hardest rooms hit, with at least 10 shots going into it. Small holes were still visible in the siding Thursday, where the bullets hit the bedroom.

The family released a statement saying;

"We are here not just grieving grandchildren but as a voice for a remarkable woman who can no longer speak for herself."

"My gramita as we used to call her, was not just any woman. She was a true warrior, the most loving, caring person I have ever known.

"She was the heart of our family. She was brutally taken from us in a place where she should have been the safest, our home, a place filled with countless memories filled with so much love.

"She, like 13 other living residents, including two children and a pregnant woman, was sleeping when the massacre began.

"This place where we used to call home has now been marked with evilness and cruelty."

The family went on to say that she leaves behind 6 kids, 24 grandkids, 33 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren, along with 105 other family members.

"We all know each other, and it’s heartbreaking for us," said the neighbor.

The family says their grandmother was healthy both physically and mentally and expected her to have several good years ahead. They say she did not deserve this brutal and cruel ending. They're asking anyone who might have security video that shows the gunmen or a red vehicle in the area at the time, to contact the King County Sheriff's Office.