Andrew Carrera from Mobile, Alabama, was spending a quiet Friday night in his family’s garage when a loud, unmistakable sound shattered the peace: breaking glass. He realized it was coming from his neighbor’s house. Instinct kicked in, and Carrera wasn’t about to sit by. He grabbed his gun, yelled for his stepdad to call 9-1-1, and sprinted toward the noise.
“When I got up to the house, the door was kicked in, glass everywhere,” Carrera recounted. “I pulled out my firearm and shouted, ‘Get out of the house!’—twice, and loud.” Carrera’s gut feeling was spot-on; inside, two burglars were up to no good. Unfortunately, they were also armed.
The situation went from tense to dangerous in seconds. The burglars fired shots as they made their way toward the door, and Carrera suddenly found himself in a full-blown shootout. He ducked and prayed, saying, “God, watch over us.” One bullet even whizzed past his ear, close enough to make him flinch, but Carrera stayed low, his mind racing as he tried to protect his family and neighbors.
Back at his house, surveillance cameras recorded the intense moments. Carrera’s stepdad can be seen in the video, stepping out in a white shirt, while Carrera is behind a vehicle in the driveway, taking cover. The burglars eventually fled, still firing as they ran. Carrera emerged unscathed, but he was convinced his shots had connected.
“Ten minutes later, we got word from the police that someone had just arrived at the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds, matching the description I’d given,” Carrera said, sharing his relief and a hint of grim satisfaction. The Mobile Police Department arrived shortly after Carrera’s 9-1-1 call, and, while they couldn’t immediately confirm the connection between the incidents, Carrera was confident his shots had helped bring one of the suspects to justice.
The entire ordeal took less than a minute, though for Carrera, it felt like hours. Looking back, he says it’s an experience he wouldn’t wish on anyone, but he’s thankful he was prepared. “It’s a crazy experience that I hope no one has to deal with—but if you do, I hope you’re ready,” he said.
