linden, texas. mother s day, may 11th, 2003. assistant chief of police sharon gillespie makes a routine traffic stop at a convenience store parking lot. it s all caught on the dashboard camera in her police car. she is a very good officer, and she is a smart, real smart person. and a real caring type person. after being stopped, the driver immediately exits the vehicle, and surprisingly, begins walking away. gillespie calls him back, asking for some identification. and when sheri stopped him, she didn t know for sure who he was, and she asked him for his id. and he said i don t have any id. but he told her his last name. he tells her his last name is gray. gillespie realizes he fits the description of the andrew lee gray, a man wanted by police for assaulting his girlfriend with a
but what would you do if you came upon a struggle like the one pat couglan and licia rector encountered? what does it take to be a hero? i didn t have time to think about my own safety. i didn t have time. it was too important. i don t feel like a hero. when you have five kids, and when you get through each day, it s heroic! [ laughter ] andrew lee gray was convicted, given two life sentences for attempted murder and aggravated assault. though the encounter has been hard on sharon gillespie, she exhibited astounding courage and resolve throughout the entire blood chilling fight. she is alive. she is doing well. she is doing good for herself. ms. gillespie is an awesome woman herself, and she s got a big heart too. the kind of generous heart shared by licia rector and pat couglan.
struggling. that s when licia rector appears. well, i had taken my four kids grocery shopping, and a man came in and said a lady needed help. so i kicked my flip-flops off, it s a texas thing, and went outside. and there was ms. gillespie in bad trouble. she isn t in a particularly good mood this morning. earlier that day my husband got me a happy birthday card and it was mother s day. and that s not my birthday. so i was already upset, and i had to take the four kids to buy groceries in my little bitty car. so i just was not in a good mood already. and her mood is about to get worse. and my children said get em, mama, get him! that s when licia weighs in, turning the free-for-all into a texas hog-tie, and andrew gray is finally subdued.