A New Mexico woman was spending the night with her four-year-old granddaughter when a stranger broke into her home and demanded her keys, sparking a heated confrontation that ended with her shooting the man.
Anissa Tinnin, 45, was elated that her granddaughter was spending the night at her Albuquerque home. She was scheduled to take the girl to school the next morning.
The duo dined, took a bath, and snuggled up on the couch while watching Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
“We had our popcorn and M&M’s, dancing and singing, when our lives were about to suddenly change,” Tinnin wrote on Facebook while recounting the night of March 21.
Suddenly, a man I had never seen before came running through the front door. The grandmother would later learn that she had jumped a fence on the property and that her every move had been captured with a Ring camera.
Anissa Tinnin, 45, was spending the night with her four-year-old granddaughter when a stranger suddenly burst into her Albuquerque home.
The man, Joseph Rivera, 32, was fleeing police when he jumped a fence on Tinnin’s property and entered his home.
Rivera demanded that the woman hand over the keys to her expensive Range Rover Sport and threatened to hurt her granddaughter if she did not comply.
“I jumped on this couch and we met there by the front door,” Tinnin said. KRQE.
“That’s when he grabbed me and got upset and told me to give him my keys. She said he didn’t want to go to jail. She threatened to harm my granddaughter and me.
Unbeknownst to her, the man, 32-year-old Joseph Rivera, was a convicted felon with a long criminal record.
Once inside Tinnin’s house, he demanded that he hand over the keys to his Range Rover Sport. The luxury car is increasingly the target of thieves, who can easily intercept the signal between the vehicle and its key, unlock the doors and drive away.
As Tinnin frantically searched for his keys, he dialed 911. “I told him not to hurt us, that I would do whatever he wanted. I would give him keys, money, whatever he needed,” he explained.
Rivera eventually grabbed a keychain and headed to the car, and Tinnin began pleading with the 911 operator.
“This guy came into my house and tried to take my car. Please help me,” he pleaded in a released recording of the call.
Rivera was charged with robbery, attempt to commit a felony and auto theft, and was ordered to remain behind bars Thursday.
Tinnin opened fire when the man returned to the house. She gave him first aid and stayed with him until the police arrived.
“I’ll give you water, but if you hurt me, I’ll shoot you again,” Tinnin can be heard saying in a released 911 call.
The 32-year-old has a long record that includes five previous felony convictions.
She ordered her granddaughter to stay in a bedroom while the girl cried and repeatedly assured her, “It’s okay, baby.” Alright.’
Tinnin then grabbed his gun. As sirens blared in the distance, Rivera returned, this time kicking in the door.
‘Come back, come back. I have a gun. Return. Return. “I’ll shoot you,” Tinnin shouted before opening fire.
‘Why did you shoot me?’ —Rivera demanded.
‘Because you’re in my fucking house!’ Grandma said.
He then came to the man’s aid, applying pressure to the wound and telling him he would help him on one condition: “I’ll give you water, but if you hurt me, I’ll shoot you.” again.’
Police say Rivera was seen in a stolen car around 9:30 p.m. After hitting the spike strips, he continued driving before crashing the vehicle and running away.
Officers took Rivera out in handcuffs and took him to a local hospital. At the time, he was on pretrial release for a July 2023 case in which he was found in a stolen car with fentanyl, cocaine and heroin, according to court records.
A judge ordered Rivera to remain behind bars during a court appearance Thursday.
‘I would like them to retain it as much as possible. I absolutely do not want the District Attorney’s Office to give him a plea deal. “He should be in jail,” Tinnin said.
More than a month later, her granddaughter is still struggling with memories of that night. She has developed a fear of the dark and constantly asks her mother if the doors are closed and the alarm set.
On Facebook, Tinnin criticized the city of Albuquerque for allowing criminals to run rampant.
“This city is a disaster,” he wrote. ‘Criminals are ruining the lives of innocent people every day. I am tired of remaining silent about the mess this city’s leadership has created.
Rivera faces charges of robbery, attempt to commit a felony and auto theft. These are in addition to five previous felony convictions.