Charlotte mom shot during attempted burglary still in hospital, family 'grateful for support'

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - People on Matlea Court are concerned about their neighbor, a 21-year-old mother that was shot in her home Tuesday.

Police say Semantha Bunce was taken to the hospital after they responded to a call regarding an assault with a deadly weapon. Investigators say Bunce was home with her baby just before ten o'clock in the morning when someone kicked in the front door.

Bunce was shot. The baby was not hit or hurt.

Semantha's husband, Paul Bunce III, said his wife is a fighter. She's in a lot of pain and still in the ICU. He also wanted everyone to know family is in town and taking care of their kids.

Her father-in-law, Paul Bunce Jr, says Semantha was feeding the baby when someone knocked and rang the doorbell. She was hesitant to answer the door.

"I think it was a shock to the intruders just as it was to her," the father-in-law said. "Semantha is not out of the woods yet. Everybody is concerned about her."

He added that Semantha was in the National Guard, and did fight back. There are several bullet holes that are visible from the outside of the back of the home. One of the bullets entered John Marshall's home next door.

"I heard a big gunshot. Then all of a sudden I heard the mini-blinds make a loud noise," he said. "My wife saw it and told me, and I got scared."

Marshall's wife was not home at the time of the shooting, and discovered the bullet hole in a bedroom about 20 minutes after the shots were fired. Marshall uses a wheelchair to get around and was not able to catch a glimpse of who fired at his neighbor. He says by the time he got downstairs the police were already there.

WBTV asked Marshall if there is a lot of crime in his neighborhood.

"We had a couple break-ins down the street and spray paint all over the neighborhood last summer," Marshal said.

Police reports from the last month show there was a car stolen a block away from someone's driveway and there was an armed robbery. The victim of the armed robbery explained she was picking up a friend on Matlea Court when she was robbed at gunpoint in her car.

She said she's been so freaked out about the incident that she doesn't really like to discuss it. She told police at the time the two men who robbed her were wearing bandanas. She's thankful she wasn't hurt, but sorry to hear about the mother being shot. She has no idea if her case is at all related to what happened to the mother down the street, and says she wishes she could give information that was more valuable to help with this woman's case.

People who live on and near Matlea Court say they have been taking turns driving around the neighborhood since there has been no arrest.

"Sometimes it takes something like this for the community to pull together and then possibly have some community watch," Semantha's father-in-law said.

Police say this is an active investigation. They have not released a description of the shooters.

Semantha's husband told WBTV that they don't want to discuss the case because it's an ongoing investigation, but says he is thankful for the support. He says his job set up a fund to help the family.

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