Lynne Russell was involved in a deadly shootout together with her husband during a motel stop at Albuquerque. The armed intruder reportedly forced his way into the room of Russell and her husband, who eventually shot and killed the man.

In an interview with reporters Wednesday, former CNN anchor Lynne Russell said the robber had been shot and killed by her husband Chuck de Caro.

Like Us on Facebook

During a cross-country road trip, the couple decided to take a rest at Motel 6 on Albuquerque's western edge. Russell said she went out to the car to retrieve something and when she returned to their room, the man was already waiting for her pointing the handgun at her.

"He pushed me into the room and that's when my husband came out of the shower and saw what was happening," Lynne Russell told Albuquerque station KOB-TV. "We tried to calm him, confuse him and do everything we could do to just come out of it in one piece."

The man grabbed De Caro's briefcase before starting to shoot at De Caro. Russell hid behind a furniture while De Caro dealt with the robber. The deadly shooting left the robber dead after De Caro hit him, according to The Guardian.

 "It was a gun battle and Chuck was bleeding heavily, but he didn't stop firing because the man was firing on him," Russell told the New York Post.

Lynne Russell also spoke with the with The Associated Press via phone. She said her husband had been shot three times, adding that he is now in a hospital recovering.

"He's in a lot of pain. He took three shots, including a couple to the abdomen. But magically, his organs were not affected," Russell  said. "He's my hero. He saved my life," Russell added.

No names involved in the incident were released by the Albuquerque police. It seemed the deadly shootout was a random robbery attempt, said Officer Tanner Tixier, a spokesman for the department.

"They weren't targeted for who they were," said Tixier. "We believe the offender didn't realize the victim's husband was in the motel [room]. He believed he had an easy target. That turned out not to be the case obviously."

Lynne Russell and de Caro are both described as expert shots, which meant their concealed handguns were considered legal, according to NBC News. 

Tagslynne Russell, lynne Russell robber, lynne Russell husband, lynne Russell shootout, lynne Russell intruder, arts and entertainment, General News, Television Programs, Entertainment, Violent Crime, crime, Chuck de Caro, Robbery, shootout, crime, former CNN reporter