Oklahoma Grandmother Killed While Protecting Grandchildren

By Jon Jordan, NEWS 9 

AMARILLO, Texas -- An Amarillo man on a crime spree shot and killed an Oklahoma woman. According to the victim's family, Sharrel Blankenbaker was shot to death protecting her grandchildren.

According to sheriff's deputies in Potter County, Texas, a man identified as 58-year-old Gary Don Carner first tried abducting a 31-year-old woman and then tried kidnapping hBlankenbaker's 12-year-old granddaughter. Before he was able snatch the girl, authorities say Blankenbaker stepped in front of Carner.

"When the girl's grandmother came out, stepped in front of the three kids to protect them, she told him to get lost. At that point he pulled out the gun…and shot her at a very close range," said Potter County Sheriff Brian Thomas.

Authorities say Blankenbaker acted as a hero, but her family said she was just being herself.

"My mom would not accept the term 'hero,' she's just that type of person who would have done it for your kids…anybody, she would have done it for anybody. If she saw someone in trouble she would have helped them," said Justin Blankenbaker, one of Sharrel's sons.

Justin said getting the news his mother was killed has devastated his family.

"She was the type of person you would want anybody to be, if a person could strive to be a person, they would want to be her," he said.

According to authorities, after he shot and killed Blankenbaker at a Love's gas station in Amarillo, he kidnapped an 11-year-old girl while she was walking with her friend. It was only a short time later that Potter County Sheriff's deputies said they were able to catch up with Carner. At that time, the 11-year-old jumped out of Carner's truck into a ditch. After the girl escaped, authorities said Carner tried to escape, gun fire was exchanged and Carner was eventually killed.

Following the shooting, the deputy who shot and killed Carner has been placed on administrative leave. It's still unclear why Carner went on his crime spree to begin with.