Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
BLOOMINGTON — An Ohio woman said she was "fearing for her life" when she shot an intruder who tackled her after she discovered him in the garage of her parents' south Bloomington home early Friday morning.
Tamie Lesher, left, describes how an intruder fled across a neighbor's lawn after her twin sister, Kim Sinnott, both of Hamilton, Ohio, shot the intruder in her parents' garage in the 700 block of South Clayton Street about 1:30 a.m. Friday. Police arrested the suspect about two blocks away a short time later.
"Anything could have happened by just the way he lunged at me, and I had the gun in his face and told him not to come out because I would shoot," said Kim Sinnott of Hamilton, Ohio. "He probably thought I wouldn't shoot."
Sinnott was still shaking nearly 10 hours later as she recalled details of the incident. She and her twin sister, Tamie Lesher, also of Hamilton, Ohio, had arrived at their parents' home in the 700 block of South Clayton Street on Thursday night for a visit to celebrate their father's 75th birthday.
"About 1:30 a.m. the alarm went off in the house. We noticed the light on in the garage. We saw somebody walking in the garage," said Sinnott.
Sinnott's mother handed her her father's .32-caliber handgun while her sister grabbed a pipe, and they walked outside to the detached garage.
"I told him that I had a gun. I was standing there looking at him with the gun pointing at him," said Sinnott. "I told him a hundred times not to come out because I had a gun and that I would shoot and that we were waiting for the cops, that we had the cops on the line right now."
The intruder opened up the overhead garage door and "lunged at me and tackled me, and we wrestled all the way over to my sister's car," said Sinnott.
"He grabbed me and pulled me down and that's when I shot (him), and he ran off that way," she said, pointing to the 900 block of Clayton Street where police apprehended the suspect.
"When he grabbed me and pulled me down I was fearing for my life," said Sinnott. "I shot him just for him to let me go. I don't know if it was in the leg or in the foot. I was scared to death."
The suspect, 21-year-old Mykale B. Davis of Bloomington, was taken to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, authorities said. He has been charged with one count of burglary and one count of battery.
Davis was held at the McLean County jail in lieu of posting $5,270, a bond that includes $200 for an unrelated misdemeanor theft case. First Assistant State's Attorney Adam Ghrist asked that a previous personal recognizance bond in the pending misdemeanor case be revoked.
A May 21 arraignment is scheduled.
Police continue to investigate the incident, including whether the gun was registered. The state is also reviewing it, "but based on the facts at this time no charges are anticipated" against Sinnott, Ghrist said.
The city rarely sees this type of intruder shooting.
"There have (only) been three the last decade," said Bloomington police public information officer Elias Mendiola.
Sinnott said she was not injured, but was "still shook up because I had my granddaughter in (the house) with my parents. My folks aren't doing too well. They're elderly."
The sisters were born and raised in the house where their parents still reside. Their parents added the alarm system after a previous burglary.
In this latest incident, the sisters said the intruder made himself at home, getting a soft drink out of the refrigerator in the garage.
"He was scoping out the tools, opened some doors and checking on his work bench," said Lesher.
Sinnott said nothing like this has happened to her before, "and I hope it never happens again."
She confronted the intruder because she felt she needed to protect her parents and her 13-year-old granddaughter. Sinnott has been raising the girl since her daughter died 11 years ago. Her husband died of cancer about 1½ years ago.
"God doesn't give you anything you can't handle, but I'm about done," said Sinnott, who was wearing a shirt with the words live, love and laugh on it.
"That's what I try to do."
Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact Detective Steve Moreland at 309-434-2359 or smoreland@cityblm.org, or Detective John Atteberry at 309-434-2548 or jatteberry@cityblm.org.