Mom dies trying to stop her daughter’s suicide attempt

A mother attempting to stop her daughter from killing herself died amid a struggle over a gun, the Caller Times reports.

The victim, 45-year-old Esperanza Escamilla of Corpus Christi, Texas, was negotiating with her 26-year-old daughter Serena Escamilla on May 1 when the gun went off and a bullet struck her chest.

Serena was reportedly upset because of a breakup and had said earlier in the day that she “wanted to shoot herself.”

The bullet also hit Serena’s stomach.

Law enforcement and emergency crews responded to the home for a report that someone had “shot herself and her mother accidentally,” according to a police report.

Serena was bleeding from her stomach and was near her mother when authorities arrived to the house. Esperanza later died at a hospital.

The daughter, who also was hospitalized for a week, was later arrested on suspicion of murder. She is currently behind bars at the Nueces County Jail on a $500,000 bond.

Police interviewed a witness to the shooting who said she observed Serena shoot her mother while they were arguing about the gun, according to court records.

Investigators also spoke with a man who took the gun from the scene but returned it for investigators a short time later. The man said he had recently moved in with Serena.

Savanah Plazola, another daughter of Esperanza, told the Caller Times that she was grieving the loss of her mom, who she said is “irreplaceable.”

“She was the strongest woman ever. Who loved us unconditionally and would’ve done anything in the world for us,” Plazola told the newspaper in a written Facebook message. “A wonderful grandma, she loved and adored all of her babies. It’s the biggest loss we’ve ever taken. She’s irreplaceable.”

 

[Feature image: Serena Escamilla/Nueces County Jail]