Patricia Buckworth a single 40-year-old mother from Delaware and her 19-year-old son Rodrick were shot by a crazed neighbor from their apartment building on June 10. It's a horrifying story, that could have been even worse if it weren't for the quick thinking and heroism of Rodrick. When it all went down Rodrick could have run into his bedroom and gone out a window, but instead he ran to protect his mother and took two bullets for her.
The story is awful and yet inspiring because of a son's love for his mother.
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Patricia and Rodrick were both home that evening around 6 p.m. She was in her bedroom on Facebook and he was in the living room watching TV. There was a knock on the door and when Rodrick asked who it was, there was no response, then more knocks and still no response from the person knocking. Then the door was being kicked in.
Rodrick on instinct was running to his mother as the door was busted down and the next thing he knew, he heard a shot. He got into his mother's room, barricaded the door with a dresser and did his best to keep the attacker at bay.
There were more shots. One shot hit Patricia, two shots hit Rodrick. Rodrick fell to the ground, the gunman made his way into the room, it was Jason Lee Brunson, a ground floor neighbor.
At some point Brunson started talking to himself and then he shot himself and collapsed on top of Patricia. Patricia pushed him off of her and she and her son ran out of the apartment.
Brunson died from the self-inflicted gunshot. I am happy to say that both Patricia and Rodrick survived their bullet wounds, but their physical and mental recovery is not going to be easy.
If you are wondering what the shooter's motive was, no one knows. Patricia had never even met him until June 6 when she and a girlfriend were going out and Brunson, who was with a woman, said to them in the hallway, "You guys were making a lot of noise in there. You were really loud, I thought you were in the hallway. I think you were over there talking about us." At some point during the conversation he brought up being a veteran and having mental issues.
I have to focus on the only beautiful part of this story because this kind of random violence is too horrible to be the takeaway. No, the takeaway to this story is that a son loves his mother so much that he risked his life to protect her. Rodrick says, "If I'd run out of that house without my mom, what kind of man would I have been? I protect my mom first, disregard me. I put her before me any time, any day."
I'll tell you what kind of person Rodrick is, he is a courageous man and great son.
- Image via delawareonline*
