CHICAGO (CBS) – The woman who was shot in her Matteson home earlier this month, along with two of her children, described the horrors they experienced.
Police arrested Antoinette Newsome’s ex-boyfriend, Lander D. Coleman, who her family believes entered her home and hid for hours before shooting her and two of her children.
“That had to be the most terrifying thing I’ve ever experienced in my life,” Newsome said.
She is recovering from the seven gunshot wounds she suffered on May 18.
“I woke up with a gun in my face,” she said.
Newsome said she wants others to see what domestic violence has done to her and her family. Matteson police said Coleman, the father of three of her children, shot her while she slept.
“My two babies were in bed,” she said. “My baby got out and said, ‘Mommy, please don’t die.’”
Newsome physically survived, but she will live with this experience forever.
Newsome said doctors were unable to remove three bullets from her chest. She also has three pins in her hand. She will no longer be able to use her arm properly. She was also shot in the chin and head.
Newsome’s 12-year-old son, Junior, heard the shots from the next room and tried to help his mother. He was also shot, once in the arm and once in the leg. Her 23-year-old daughter was sleeping downstairs when she was shot and beaten.
‘To shoot children? What kind of monster are you?’ she said.
Surveillance footage showed the suspect running from the home with a gun in his hand.
On Friday morning, nearly two weeks after Newsome and her children were shot, Coleman was found with a gun in Roseland. He was involved in a standoff of almost 10 hours with the FBI, SWAT and police. Law enforcement officials said he shot himself and suffered an abrasion to his head.
“It’s finally over,” Newsome said.
She also credited FBI, Chicago and Matteson police for helping track down Coleman.
“They worked hard,” she said of the police. “They worked so hard in the little time they had, and they got him.”
Police found Coleman two days later CBS 2’s story detailing what happened during the May 18 attack at Newsome’s house.
Days before the attack, Newsome was granted a protective order after what she called years of domestic violence. She said she tried to add their children to the protective order, but a judge denied the request and Coleman was allowed to ask for “parenting time.”
As for what she would say to other survivors of domestic violence, Newsome told them, “Never give up. The system is hard to navigate. Never give up. Keep going. Stay safe. That’s all you can really do .”
Newsome was one of 28,000 people in Cook County who filed for protective orders in the past year.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the Illinois Domestic Violence Hotline at 877-863-6338 or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233.
The Network, an advocacy organization for victims of domestic violence, has also put together a toolkit for drawing up a safety plan.
The Circuit Court Clerk of the Cook County Clerk’s Office offers advice on obtaining protective orders and has a resource center.
