Former CNN anchor Lynne Russell is used to relaying news stories to the public, and this week, the journalist found that she was the news story. Russell and her husband, Chuck de Caro, were four days into a cross-country road trip from Washington, D.C., to California, and stopped at an Albuquerque, N.M., Motel 6 for the night. When Russell came back from retrieving an item from their car, a man with a gun greeted her at the motel room door.
"I opened the door and he materialized out of nowhere; he was inside," Russell, the first woman to serve as a primetime network news show's solo anchor, told The New York Post of their scary ordeal. "And he pushed me into the room and onto the bed and closed the door."
When the man started shooting at de Caro, who was coming out of the shower and completely naked, the couple knew they had to act. As his wife ducked behind furniture to escape gunshots, de Caro grabbed for his gun and fired at the assailant, killing him. Both Russell and de Caro have concealed carry permits.
"It was a gun battle, and Chuck was bleeding heavily, but he didn't stop firing because the man was firing on him, and he was looking for me," Russell said.
The Post reports de Caro, shot three times, underwent surgery and is expected to spend the next several days in recovery. "I was determined to save my dream girl's life — even if it cost my own," de Caro said.
