X
theAsianparent Logo
theAsianparent Logo
Product GuideSign in
  • Awards
    • Parents' Choice Awards 2023
  • Pregnancy
    • Due date calculator
    • I'm pregnant
    • Trying To Conceive
    • Labour
    • After birth
    • Baby loss
  • Parenting
    • Parent's Guide
    • Relationship & Sex
  • Child
    • Newborn
    • Baby
    • Toddler
    • Pre-Schooler
    • Kid
    • Pre-Teen & Teen
  • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diseases-Injuries
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Meal Planner
    • Health
    • Allergies & Conditions
    • Vaccinations
  • Education
    • Pre-School
    • Primary School
    • Secondary School
    • Primary School Directory
  • Lifestyle
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Fashion
    • Home
    • Fitness
    • Contests & promotions
  • News
    • International
    • Health
    • Celebrity
    • Singapore
  • TAP Recommends
  • Shopping
  • Press Releases
  • Project Sidekicks
  • Community
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Become A Contributor
  • VIP

A mother's love: The story of a mum who took 5 bullets to save her child!

30 Nov, 2017
A mother's love: The story of a mum who took 5 bullets to save her child!

Here's the full story of Tiffany Phommathep, the brave California mum who protected her three kids in an shoot-out

This story of a mother's love is bound to leave you in tears, but also have you wondering if one can ever fathom the depths of this unconditionally giving relationship. 

Brave California mum, Tiffany Phommathep hadn't expected that she was in for a life-changing incident on what looked like a regular weekday morning.

She was at Rancho Tehama Elementary School to drop her children when 44-year-old Kevin Neal opened fire on the small, rural community in Northern California.

The firing was taking place just a few steps from Phommathep's car and she had to act fast.

Brave California mom protected her kids against Neal who opened fire at them

Braveheart mum risked her own life to save her kids

Phommathep's mum-instinct immediately kicked in when she saw Neal approaching them, open firing. Her 10-year-old son, John Jr., sat right next to her in the passenger seat. So she did what only a mum would do - she threw herself at him to protect him from the bullets, using her own body as a shield.

Phommathep was shot five times, four bullets hit her on her back left shoulder while one on her hip. Her children were also injured. John Jr. was shot in his calf twice. Jake, who is six years old was shot in the foot while the two-year-old Nikos cut himself by the exploding glass.

Mother's love gave her the strength to drive away

Tiffany shares: "I just kept on praying that he'd go away because I can't take another bullet. I knew I wouldn't make it."

Brave California mom protected her kids in a shoot out

Her other two sons were in the backseat. She just gathered herself and drove away. Upon reaching a nearby gas station, she screamed for help upon seeing a woman there. 

Tiffany shares: "I found some more strength to open my window, my door and I hopped out to her and asked her, 'Can you help? I'm shot, I'm dying and my kids are in the car. She said she couldn't help me because she only had a two-seater and she was late for work. That hurt my heart a lot to hear her say that."

Help at last

The seriously injured mum had to continue driving for many more miles till she finally spotted a police car.

Her husband Johnny Phommathep reportedly said that Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston helped her out. He says: "She crawled out, bleeding. If it wasn't for him, my wife wouldn't be here."

The brave California mom Tiffany and husband Johnny

Johnny Phommathep also shared that the six-year-old's version of the whole incident was completely different. He told his father, "We went to school and someone shot us with paintballs. It hit my feet, and I need new shoes now."

Neal was on a killing spree

Johnny Phommathep shared that the Phommatheps knew the Neal family as they were neighbours. Neal had got into fights many times with another neighbour Danyn Elliott and threaten to kill Elliott and his seven-year-old son. He said: "In the middle of the night, they'd get into screaming matches." 

Neal had killed his wife Barbara Glisan on 13th November and hid her body under the floor. Next morning he opened fire, killing 38-year-old Elliott and some others from the neighbourhood.

It's incredible that Tiffany and her son  managed to escape this clearly deranged man. Hats off to a very brave mum for showing such exemplary courage to protect her kids. Once a mum, always a mum!

Source: Your Tango

Images: Screengrabs from YouTube

Partner Stories
Celebrity Dad Mark Lee Shares the 3 P's of Raising School Going Children - Parenting Tips, PSLE Preparation & Protecting Your Child’s Eyesight!
Celebrity Dad Mark Lee Shares the 3 P's of Raising School Going Children - Parenting Tips, PSLE Preparation & Protecting Your Child’s Eyesight!
NTUC First Campus (NFC) Expands Child Support Model to Include Support for Mental Well-being
NTUC First Campus (NFC) Expands Child Support Model to Include Support for Mental Well-being
Singapore's Dengue Cases Surpass The 35,000 Mark, Highest Since 2013
Singapore's Dengue Cases Surpass The 35,000 Mark, Highest Since 2013
Typhoon Haiyan relief effort
Typhoon Haiyan relief effort

Got a parenting concern? Read articles or ask away and get instant answers on our app. Download theAsianparent Community on iOS or Android now!

img
Written by

Prutha Soman

  • Home
  • /
  • News
  • /
  • A mother's love: The story of a mum who took 5 bullets to save her child!
Share:
  • A Mother's Love From Beyond The Grave: My Mother Consoled My Crying Daughter

    A Mother's Love From Beyond The Grave: My Mother Consoled My Crying Daughter

  • A Mum's Love will Always be Timeless

    A Mum's Love will Always be Timeless

  • 'Family is Priceless': Malaysian Man in Singapore Rents 2 Buses So He and 60 Other Strangers Can Join Their Families for CNY

    'Family is Priceless': Malaysian Man in Singapore Rents 2 Buses So He and 60 Other Strangers Can Join Their Families for CNY

  • A Mother's Love From Beyond The Grave: My Mother Consoled My Crying Daughter

    A Mother's Love From Beyond The Grave: My Mother Consoled My Crying Daughter

  • A Mum's Love will Always be Timeless

    A Mum's Love will Always be Timeless

  • 'Family is Priceless': Malaysian Man in Singapore Rents 2 Buses So He and 60 Other Strangers Can Join Their Families for CNY

    'Family is Priceless': Malaysian Man in Singapore Rents 2 Buses So He and 60 Other Strangers Can Join Their Families for CNY

Get advice on your pregnancy and growing baby. Sign up for our newsletter
  • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Education
    • Events
    • Allergies & Conditions
  • Family Occasions
    • Breastfeeding & Formula
    • Child Safety
    • Health
    • Diseases-Injuries
  • Lifestyle
    • Home
    • Money
    • Feeding & Nutrition
    • Diet & Weightloss
  • Normal Delivery
    • Cesarean Delivery
    • Behaviour
    • Secondary School
    • Formula Feeding
  • Ages & Stages
    • Latching & Concerns
    • Festivals & Holidays
    • Education
    • Pre-teen & Teen
  • More
    • TAP Community
    • Advertise With Us
    • Contact Us
    • Become a Contributor


  • Singapore flag Singapore
  • Thailand flag Thailand
  • Indonesia flag Indonesia
  • Philippines flag Philippines
  • Malaysia flag Malaysia
  • Sri-Lanka flag Sri Lanka
  • India flag India
  • Vietnam flag Vietnam
  • Australia flag Australia
  • Japan flag Japan
  • Nigeria flag Nigeria
  • Kenya flag Kenya
© Copyright theAsianparent 2023. All rights reserved
About Us|Team|Privacy Policy|Terms of Use |Sitemap HTML
  • Tools
  • Articles
  • Feed
  • Poll

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience. Learn MoreOk, Got it

theAsianparent heart icon
We’d like to send you notifications for the latest news and lifestyle updates.