On September 21, 2004, Tom shot Connie in a fit of rage. He then turned the gun on himself and shot himself in the side of his face. He survived the blast.

After suffering a near-fatal blow, Connie managed to walk downstairs and find her twin sister, Bonnie, who called Connie's daughter, Alicia. "She said, 'He shot her.' I immediately knew that she must have meant my dad shot my mom. I wasn't really even surprised," Alicia says. "I always knew that he could really hurt somebody. I knew he had a potential. I just didn't think it would be my mom."

When Connie was first shot, she says she didn't know how extensive the injuries were. "You're actually in shock [when you get shot], and you don't feel anything, " she says. "I could feel the blood and all that, but your adrenaline's going so fast that there was no pain."