American Teen Recalls Mother's Final Moments in Cartel Attack: 'She Was Trying To Pray'
The 13-year-old boy who has been called a hero after his family was ambushed in Mexico has spoken out about his mother’s last moments.
Devin Langford was in the convoy of SUVs with his family when gunmen descended, shot and killed nine of his family members.
The teen told ABC News the gunmen first shot at the SUV he and his family were driving, hindering his mother’s ability to drive away.
“They just started hitting (the) car first, like with a bunch, a bunch of bullets. Just start shooting rapidly at us,” Devin told ABC News.
“The car didn’t work. So she was just trying right there, starting the car as much as she could, but I’m pretty sure they shot something so the car wouldn’t even start.”
Just before she was fatally shot, Devin’s mother, Dawna, told him and his siblings to “get down, right now.”
Dawna and two of her children, Trevor, 11, and Rogan, 2, were among the nine killed that day.
Devin said his last memories of Dawna are a great picture of the brave, loving mother she was.
“She was trying to pray to the Lord, and she was trying to start the car up to get out of there,” he told ABC News.
After his mother and two siblings were shot, Devin grabbed his remaining six siblings, some of whom had also been shot, and hid them in bushes while he walked to find help.
He walked nearly 14 miles before arriving back at his home in LaMora.
“We walked a little while until we couldn’t carry them no more. And so we put them in the bushes so they wouldn’t get hit or nothing. So I started walking,” he said. “Every one of them were bleeding really bad. So I was trying to get in a rush to get there.”
While Devin remains humble of his actions last week, the teen’s father, David Langford, said his son is a hero.
“Every one of my children that survived that are living miracles,” Langford said. “How many bullet holes were fired into that vehicle … at that horrific scene and how many children were involved. It’s amazing. It’s amazing. It’s beyond amazing that they survived.
“To be honest with you, my boy’s a hero simply because he gave his life for his brothers and sisters.”
David Langford also said many of the family members who had settled in northwest Mexico are planning to leave in light of the recent attack.
“It’s not worth living in fear,” he said. “The toughest part for me was saying goodbye … saying goodbye to two innocent lives that were cut short and a vibrant wife that lived a life to its fullest that had many friends and was loved by everybody.”
As they consider leaving, the family is also focused on supporting those who were injured in the ambush and remembering those who were lost.
Even Devin is trying to keep his mother’s legacy alive.
“She was a nice person and a brave woman that tried to save her kids,” he said.
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