15-year-old girl fights off armed intruder after he shoots her dad (VIDEO)

A few months ago, the family’s neighbor was the victim of a violent armed robbery which left the man beaten so badly, he was put on life support. (Photo: ABC)

A teen girl is being called a hero after she fought off an armed intruder who shot her dad during a break-in at their Indianapolis home.

Fifteen-year-old Kimberly Romero and her father, Fernando Heredia, returned home around midnight Oct. 24 to two strange men in their home. Heredia entered the home first and found one suspect in the process of unplugging the television. He then called out to the second suspect to warn him that the residents were there.

Unbeknown to the suspects, Romero’s stepmother, Maria Rosales, was inside the home, hiding in a closet with her 8-month-old baby.

But before Romero followed her father inside, gunshots rang out.

As Heredia came face to face with one the suspects, he said, “I’m going to shoot,” as he pointed the gun at Heredia. But the girl’s father said the suspect didn’t even finish saying the word “shoot” before he pulled the trigger.

“When I walked in, I just saw my dad on the floor, and the man running. He (Heredia) was going, he was screaming, he was saying, ‘Call 911. Go to the neighbors.’” Romero told a local ABC affiliate. “My stepmom said, ‘He’s been shot!’ and then I ran out through the door, knocked on my next-door neighbor’s door, and she was the one who called 911.”

Once the shots were fired, the suspects started to run away, but Romero wasn’t about to stand by idly.

“I chased him and I grabbed his hood and he punched me first. We were going at it like a good minute or so,” Romero said. “And that’s when my stepmom came in and started hitting him with something and he jumped over the fence and left because I couldn’t get him anymore.”

Romero said the suspect hit her in the face, saying “I’m sorry” as he punched her.

Romero was left with a bruised face and her father was left fighting for his life. Heredia was transported to a local hospital where he was initially in critical condition but was last listed in fair condition.

Both suspects got away. One was described as a white male about 6 feet 2 inches tall, and the second suspect was only described as a black male.

Neighborhood residents say that crime has been on the rise recently and it has many feeling uneasy. Elizabeth Arias, who lives next door to Romero, said her stepfather was the victim of an armed robbery several months ago. He was beaten so badly during the robbery, that he was left on life support.

“It’s been scary,” Arias said, a sentiment which also reflects next door.

“She’s still nervous,” Romero said about her stepmom. “She hasn’t slept.”

And when asked how she feels following the incident, Romero, fighting back tears, simply replied, “Not the same that I used to feel before.”