A grandmother in New Mexico recalls the horror of the night she shot and killed an intruder in her home to protect her 4-year-old granddaughter.
Blaze News previously reported on the incident from March 21, but new details have emerged through the release of a harrowing 911 recording from that night and an interview with the victim by KRQE-TV.
Anissa Tinin said she and her granddaughter were happily dancing to a Taylor Swift movie when a peaceful evening was snuffed out by an uninvited criminal who broke into her Albuquerque home.
Joseph Rivera, 32, reportedly crashed the stolen car and continued driving on the rim after Albuquerque police flattened the tire with a stop stick. The man allegedly fled on foot and ran into Tinin’s home around 9:30 p.m.
“I jumped over this couch and met him at the door, and that’s when he grabbed me and shook me and told me to give him the keys,” the grandmother told KRQE-TV. He said he didn’t want to go to jail. He threatened to hurt me and his granddaughter. ”
Tinin handed him the key chain and tried to calm him down. She called 911 and she left the phone open while the rest of the events occurred, she said.
“As we were walking, I put my hand on him and tried to calm him down,” she said.
“Tell me your name… tell me where you’re from.”
“Go back! I’ll shoot you!”
The man took the key chain and left, but returned for more keys. She took her granddaughter into her bedroom and grabbed her gun.
“I told him I’m going to do whatever he wants so he doesn’t hurt us. I’ll give him the keys, the money, whatever he needs,” she continued.
Tinin said she comforted her granddaughter and when she returned outside the bedroom, she realized Rivera had not returned. That’s when she threatened to shoot him.
“Go back! Go back! I have a gun. Go back! Go back. I’ll definitely shoot you!” she said.
At that point, a single gunshot can be heard on the recording.
“Why did you shoot me?” the suspect can be heard asking.
“Because you’re in my house!” she replies.
Despite the threats, Tinin applied pressure to the man’s wound to stop the bleeding.
At that point, surveillance cameras showed numerous police officers swarming the home and dragging the suspect away.
Tinin said she wants Rivera to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and urged the district attorney to reject the plea deal. The man has five prior felony convictions and faces numerous charges stemming from home invasions.
Megan Tinnin Austin said her daughter is traumatized by what happened that night and is afraid of the dark.
Tinin said she believes God was watching over her and her granddaughter that night.
“We believe we had a guardian angel here. We strongly believe that God was watching over us,” she concluded.
Here’s a great video report:
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