A grandmother in New Mexico recalls the terror of the night she shot a home intruder in order to protect her 4-year-old granddaughter.
Blaze News previously reported the incident from March 21, but new details have been revealed through the release of the harrowing 911 recording from the night and the victim’s interview with KRQE-TV.
Anissa Tinnin said that she was happily dancing to the Taylor Swift movie with her granddaughter when her serene evening was obliterated by an uninvited criminal invading her home in Albuquerque.
Joseph Rivera, 32, had reportedly crashed a stolen vehicle after the Albuquerque Police Department had flattened its tires with stop sticks and he continued to drive on the rims. He fled on foot and allegedly ran into Tinnin’s home at about 9:30 p.m.
“I jumped over this couch, and we met there by the front door,” the grandmom told KRQE-TV. “That’s when he grabbed me and was upset and said to give him my keys. He said he didn’t want to go to jail. He did threaten to hurt my granddaughter and me.”
Tinnin gave him her key fob and tried to calm him down. She said that she called 911 and kept the line open while the rest of the events transpired.
“As we were walking, … I put my hands on him … to try to be calming,” she said.
“Tell me what your name is, … tell me where you are from.”
“Get back! I will f****** shoot you!”
The man took the key fob and left but returned to ask for more keys. She took her granddaughter to a bedroom and grabbed her gun.
“I told him to not hurt us, that I would do whatever he wanted. I would give him keys, money, whatever it took,” she continued.
Tinnin said she comforted her granddaughter and then returned outside of the bedroom to find that Rivera had not left. That’s when she threatened to shoot him.
“Get back. Get back! I have a gun. Get back! Get back. I will f****** shoot you!” she said.
At that point, one gunshot can be heard on the recording.
“Why did you shoot me?” the suspect can be heard asking.
“Because you’re in my f****** house!” she responds.
Despite the threat, Tinnin put pressure on the man’s wound to stop the bleeding.
At that point, video surveillance captures scores of police officers swarming the home and dragging the suspect out.
Tinnin says she wants Rivera to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and called on the district attorney to refuse a plea deal. The man has had five previous felony convictions and faces numerous charges stemming from the home invasion.
Megan Tinnin Austin says that her daughter is traumatized from the events of that night and is afraid of the dark.
Tinnin says that she believes God was looking over her and her granddaughter that evening.
“I do believe we had a guardian angel here with us, and I do firmly believe that God was watching over us,” she concluded.
Here’s the stunning video report:
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