Woman who survived Ariz. home invasion shot back

TUCSON, Ariz. — A woman shot and wounded during a weekend home invasion that left her husband and 10-year-old daughter dead fired back at several intruders who thought they had killed her, a sheriff’s official said Tuesday.

Pima County Sheriff’s Lt. Michael O’Connor, commander of the violent crimes unit, said three or four men and a woman claiming to be law enforcement officers burst into the family’s rural home early Saturday. They made demands that O’Connor declined to divulge.

All three family members were shot, and the intruders apparently believed all were dead, O’Connor said.

“At some point after being shot, she was able to obtain a weapon and returned fire,” he said. “We think there’s a possibility that one of the suspects was injured.”

He said investigators determined that the intruders went in and out of the house, so the total number was unclear — one woman “and three or four males,” he said.

The dead were identified as Raul Flores, 29, and the couple’s daughter, Brisenia.

Investigators were still trying to determine whether there was any tie-in to drug or illegal immigration activity, O’Connor said, declining to speculate on a motive.

O’Connor said the woman was hospitalized. “Her prognosis is good and she is recovering,” he said.

The small community of Arivaca is about 60 miles south of Tucson and 10 miles north of the Mexican border. Largely rural, homes are widely spread across the desert.