Decatur mother protects kids from home invasion, shares story
DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — A mother of two in Decatur is sharing her story less than a week after her home was invaded — and she was shot.
On Monday, Alexia Templar was forced to defend her family after armed intruders broke into her home. It happened in the area of Stone and Whitmer Streets in Decatur.
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The situation left her with two gunshot wounds — and two men in jail. Her partner was at work when the armed invasion happened early Monday morning, meaning it was just Templar and her two children, both under the age of two.
She says of the nearly 30 bullet holes in her home, four came from her. And she believes those four saved her children's lives.
'In that moment, I can't panic. I have two daughters who need me in this moment and need me to protect them,' Templar said.
Templar said noises in her kitchen woke her up, then she called her partner on FaceTime to inform him of the invaders.
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'He told me that I'm going to have to do this. I'm going to have to protect myself. I need to grab the gun, and I need to be ready to defend my home,' Templar said.
She had never held a gun prior to that moment.
'As soon as I see them, I say to them, 'I have a gun, so get out of my house, or I will shoot you.' As soon as I said that they started immediately firing at me, both the people,' Templar said.
In the exchange, two bullets hit Templar while one of her children was in her arms.Soon after, as she was bleeding, her oldest daughter ran up to her.
'So, I put my kids in the closet, and I shut the door, and I'm screaming at them, pleading, 'Please don't kill my kids. I have kids. Please don't kill my kids. Please don't kill me. Please,'' Templar said.
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The three suspects fled the house after the shootout.
Soon after, Templar's partner took her to St. Mary's Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.And thankfully, both their children remained unharmed.
'The bullets went through and through. So luckily, there were no major blood vessels hit, or bone fragments found,' Templar said.
Later that same day, officials found one of the suspects with a bullet wound in their lower back, fired from Templar.
She said the entire situation was not only terrifying but violating.
'I was not worried about if something were to happen to me, it would have been worth it because my kids would be safe. And that's all that had mattered to me in that moment,' Templar said.
Templar said her family no longer feels safe in their home. The family of four has been living in a hotel since Monday. If you'd like to help, you can visit their GoFundMe here.
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Police said two men and a 16-year-old were arrested and charged for the invasion.Twenty-four-year-old Deonte Stone and 25-year-old Colton Clark, along with the unnamed 16-year-old, were all charged with attempted murder, home invasion, and aggravated battery with a firearm.
Stone and Clark are being held at the Macon County Jail, and the 16-year-old is at the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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