Estranged Husband Purchases Gun & Tries to Kill Wife in Front of Age 4 Son
Acts of domestic abuse affect far too many women in America. The victims are often trapped in a vile reality, unable to escape the crimes committed against them by a previously loving spouse.
Kate Ranta suffered from the hand of her estranged husband for years before she was able to escape his grasp.
However, even after she was able to escape, moving to an address that should have been unknown to the husband, the man returned with awful intentions.
With a gun in hand, the man attempted to murder both Ranta and her father to try and maintain his power over the innocents. The video below details the nightmarish events on the night of Nov. 2, 2012.
Having shown up unannounced, the estranged husband tried to break through the apartment door. Both Ranta and her father attempted to barricade the door with their bodies. The man then fired multiple shots through the door, causing the two to fall back.
The man then managed to break into the apartment and continued the barrage of bullets.
In the chaos, Ranta was shot once in the left hand (in her words, “exploding it before her face”), and once through the left breast, missing her heart by mere inches.
Her father was also shot twice — once in his left side and once through his left arm. His left hand was immediately paralyzed from the impacts.
However, Ranta and her father were not the only ones inside the apartment. Her then 4-year-old son, Will, was also inside, witnessing everything described above in vivid detail.
Will cried and pleaded with his father saying, “don’t do it Daddy; don’t shoot Mommy.” Miraculously, everyone was able to escape with their lives, and the gunman was arrested at the scene.
Once outside, the victims were separated and transported to their respective locations. Ranta was flown out and given an emergency blood transfusion, her father was placed in the ICU, and the son was interviewed at the local police station. Everyone survived.
Former U.S. Air Force Major Thomas Maffei is on trial for allegedly trying to kill his wife and her father in Nov. 2012 @nbc6 #BrowardCourt pic.twitter.com/WwAHHiigf1
— Marissa Bagg (@MarissaNBC6) February 7, 2017
Former U.S. Air Force Major Thomas Maffei was named as the assailant. Unfortunately, it took over four years to convict the gunman for his crime due to heavy lawyering and a mistrial. He was sentenced to a minimum of 25 years.
Ranta still deals with PTSD resulting from this event. However, she has managed to cope by becoming a spokesperson for preventing violence against women.
She has worked with two separate organizations: Moms Demand Action for gun sense in America, and Every Town for Gun Safety.
Every Town’s website reports that they are a group looking to make it more difficult for proven offenders to get their hands on these lethal weapons.
We hope she is able to make useful changes in the fight against abuse by using her horrific experience in the most positive way she can. We also wish the best to all the victims of this crime in their healing process.
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