Editorial: Navajo teen rightly recognized for life-saving actions

Wednesday, August 24, 2011  

"Thirteen months ago, Ashley Nez made a decision that changed her life.

It also saved her mother's.

Ashley, 16, used a baseball bat in July 2010 to ward off a man who attacked her mother.

That man had a gun, and he planned to shoot Ashley's mother, Cassandra Nez, before killing himself.

Ashley's gumption and quick thinking saved her mother's life. She struck William Belin with the bat and thwarted the attack. She then called 911.

Cassandra suffered a gunshot wound to her shoulder, but she survived.

Belin also survived to face federal charges of assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault resulting in serious bodily injury and using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Teen's rescue effort gets proper notice (The Farmington Daily Times 8/24)

Navajo Nation girl, 15, honored for fending off attack on mother (8/17)