Crime Stories with Nancy Grace - Angry Girl Shoots Waiter in Face Over $3 Burger

Episode Date: February 25, 2022

Anthony Rodriguez is lucky to be alive after a brutal attack left him with a gunshot wound. The Wisconsin waiter was working the overnight shift at a George Webb restaurant in Wauwatosa when two siste...rs, Bryanna and Breanta Johnson, both 20, and two other women became impatient with their service. When they received their order, the twins complained a hamburger was missing. The situation become volatile and the women were asked to leave. Breanta Johnson walks outside, then returns to the restaurant with a gun, according to an arrest warrant. At some point, Breanta Johnson handed the gun to her sister, who shot Rodriguez in the face. While he was on the floor, the suspects allegedly began kicking the victim in the face. The sisters arrested on charges of attempted homicide. Charges pending on the other two women.Joining Nancy Grace Today: Anthony Rodriguez - Victim Wendy Patrick - California prosecutor, author “Red Flags” www.wendypatrickphd.com 'Today with Dr. Wendy' on KCBQ in San Diego, Twitter: @WendyPatrickPHD Caryn Stark - NYC Psychologist, www.carynstark.com, Twitter: @carynpsych, Facebook: "Caryn Stark Lisa M. Dadio - Former Police Lieutenant, New Haven Police Department, Senior Lecturer, Director of the "Center for Advanced Policing" at the University of New Haven's Forensic Science Department Dr. William Morrone - Chief Medical Examiner, Bay County Michigan, Author: "American Narcan: Naloxone & Heroin-Fentanyl Associated Mortality", RecoveryPathwaysLLC.com Hillary Mintz - Investigative Reporter WISN 12 News (Milwaukee, WI), WISN.com, Twitter: @WISN_MINTZ, Facebook: "Hillary Mintz-WISN Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 You're listening to an iHeart Podcast. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. A loving father in the prime of his life, shot in the face over a hamburger? A three dollar hamburger? You know, every morning when I wake up, I go look at the twins. First thing I do, I don't wake them up because it's 5 a.m. I peek at them. I look in just to make sure they're okay, that they're real. Because they're the best thing that ever happened to me. The thought of them being raised, of growing up without their mother or their father, I wouldn't wish that on anyone.
Starting point is 00:01:08 A father of a little boy, just three, shot in the face over a $3 hamburger? May they rot in hell. And with that, I'm Nancy Grace. This is Crime Stories. Thank you for being with us here at Fox Nation and Sirius XM 111. Take a listen to our friend Brett LeMoyne at Fox 6. Dispatch recordings indicate the female suspect was wearing a camouflage pattern jacket and pants,
Starting point is 00:01:44 carrying a silver handgun. Four female unknowns got into a silver Honda Accord. This witness said no unknown direction of travel. Police have not released any information about the suspect or suspects. In a statement to Fox 6, a George Webb spokesman shares, One of our employees was shot while working at our Wauwatosa store. The employee was immediately rushed to the hospital. Our thoughts and prayers are with the employee impacted by this incident.
Starting point is 00:02:12 That employee we're hearing about is a Wisconsin dad. Anthony Rodriguez shot in the face after two female customers who just happened to have a gun with them and wearing camouflage, are angry over their $3 hamburger. Really? How about saying, I'm missing my hamburger. Would that work? Oh, H-E-L-L-No, this had to be settled in their minds with shooting the dad in the face, cutting through his mouth, entering his head.
Starting point is 00:02:50 With me, an all-star panel to make sense of what we know right now, but take a listen to Our Cut 17, WISN 12. I do remember just laying on the ground and just bleeding out. Shot in the face over a $3 hamburger. This 26-year-old George Webb server says he thought his life was over. I was in so much shock. I don't really remember being in much pain, but I remember kind of internally freaking out and being very scared and just telling myself that, wow, I'm probably going to die here. Midnight, January 30th, Anthony Rodriguez says he was the only server working at the restaurant on 122nd and North.
Starting point is 00:03:25 He says a few customers became upset over an incomplete order. They were asked to leave, but instead opened fire. I never expected to get shot just being a server. With me right now, that dad, that dad who has suffered so much. He's lost half of his tongue. He has bullet fragments still in his head and in his lungs. And he has lost most of his teeth. But he is alive.
Starting point is 00:04:02 With me, Anthony Rodriguez. Mr. Rodriguez, I was so happy when I found out you could join us, but hearing you speak makes me realize how much pain you're still in, how much you're still suffering, which makes me even more grateful that you are with us today to tell your story. So thank you for that. What happened, Mr. Rodriguez? What happened was just anger got the best of people, unfortunately. A lot of impatience happened that night.
Starting point is 00:04:45 And unfortunately, nothing wanted to de-escalate. You know, you just said something that really struck home, Anthony. You said impatience. I've been listening to a series of devotions, and they talk about all the figures in the Bible that had to just wait and wait and wait for the answer, for the outcome. I'm just imagining what you just said, impatience. You don't go on a rant on the women that shot you in the face. You say, impatience. I find that incredible that you're not tearing them a new a-hole, but you're not.
Starting point is 00:05:27 You went in that night at what time? I started my, I'm usually there early, so I want to say I was probably there at like 9.30. My dad worked at night a lot. He was on a, to keep
Starting point is 00:05:42 his job at the beginning, to stay on the railroad, he had to take what they call a mobile route, which means you travel from place to place and basically fill in wherever you're needed. One night he'd work at midnight. The next day he might work at 7 in the morning. He never knew what his schedule was going to be, and that lasted for years. Why are you working a job? I've done it myself, a night job.
Starting point is 00:06:04 You've got a family, right? Yes, ma'am. Why are you working a job? I've done it myself. A night job. You got a family, right? Why are you working the night shift? I chose to work the night shift. It actually fitted quite well between me and the mother and my child because
Starting point is 00:06:20 she just started a day job and we didn't want to put our three-year-old into a daycare system. So I wanted to start working night shifts so that I could watch the child during the day. What does the mom do? The mother works as a leasing agent for a high-end apartment complex. So somebody's always with your three-year-old, right?
Starting point is 00:06:49 Absolutely. That night when you go in and the restaurant is George Webb, a Wisconsin chain. And that was at the, what's the name of the town, Wauwatosa? Yes, it's a suburb out of Milwaukee. So you go in that night about 9 30 you got there early was anything unusual at all when you went in? No honestly that's everything was kind of status quo for that night I don't remember what particular day it was but I remember it being a weekend And I just know that I was filling in for somebody else. I just know I wasn't supposed to actually be working that day.
Starting point is 00:07:29 That was one of my off days. Why were you filling in? What happened to the other employee? I can't remember what exactly happened to that other employee. I just got called in. Usually, I know I like to pick up shifts for other people because I just like having the extra cash and stuff like that. Trying to, you know, working as a server, you don't earn that much money.
Starting point is 00:07:55 So every little bit counts. That was a Sunday night, January 30, 2022, was a Sunday night. So you were working the night shift on a Sunday night. So you were working the night shift on a Sunday night to fill in for somebody else that called in to make extra money. I remember when I was in school, Mr. Rodriguez,
Starting point is 00:08:17 I was so broke. One of my favorite nights of the week would be, I think it was Tuesday, because you could get two tacos for 99 cents, and I would literally pay with change. And I had a night shift job at a sandwich shop, and it was like a big shopping strip. And it was on the end, the very end, and I would sit there until I guess 10 or 11 at night and watch all the other stores close and everybody would leave. And I would just be sitting there alone. And I'm just imagining you there at the George Webb.
Starting point is 00:08:59 Had there ever been any other violence at that George Webb location? Just because of the time and usually the customers that come in. It could get rowdy, I would say. I wouldn't say violence is probably the right answer to say, but it could definitely get rowdy. It's rowdy with a lot of people in there at midnight. I guess anybody coming for a hamburger at midnight has already been out, I would guess. Although my son, John David, and I like to make Crystal Runs at midnight on weekends. That said, what is a George Webb? Is it like a McDonald's or a Crystal or a, what is it? A George Webb is more so like a diner type of restaurant.
Starting point is 00:09:41 Yeah, everybody's shaking their head no in here. It's not like a McDonald's. It's a diner. Okay, I didn shaking their head no in here it's not like a mcdonald's it's a diner okay i didn't know that describe it it's um just um it's a franchise um that that sets it sets itself up as um a diner um with um i wouldn't say fast food but it does it should be coming out rather quickly like short order yeah it's still being cooked on the spot for the most part. So I'm just imagining you there. So you go in at 930. Your baby is at home with the mom. Everything's fine. It's a Sunday night.
Starting point is 00:10:16 You're happy to get the extra money. And then what happens? A regular shift happens. You know, it's just we try to do the best that we can with the amount of people that are working that day, which is just one person for like each position, I would say. So there's one server, which is me, one cook. And then I had a buzzer that night because it was a weekend. So that was nice.
Starting point is 00:10:42 Not all nights do I get a buster and then around I want to say around 1130 and it started getting really packed because usually when it's filled up to the brim with customers full tables and whatnot they usually all come in at once for some reason. And so I have both tables and the chef gets overwhelmed with the amount of orders that need to be taking place because they're all coming in at once. And then people can get very impatient from there because unfortunately we're the only restaurant that's probably open at that time anymore because of COVID and everything else. I see a lot of forlorn faces in this studio right now.
Starting point is 00:11:32 And I imagine they're remembering being impatient when their order didn't come in time. Of course, I've never, ever done that because I'm so, you know, patient. I'm just imagining the scene there that night. And, you know, to hear Anthony Rodriguez tell it, everything just was normal, but that's not exactly correct. Take a listen to Brent Lemoine, Fox 6. This all happened late Saturday night and into Sunday morning at this George Webb restaurant here behind me.
Starting point is 00:12:04 The worker is alive but seriously injured after what police describe as an argument with a group of customers. For frequent George Webb customers like James Coomer. I'm surprised to hear that. Shocked, of course. News of what happened at this Wauwatosa location over the weekend has many on edge. Police tell us a 26-year-old male employee suffered serious injury after being shot in the head. Investigators say it began with an argument with a group of customers, got physical, and ended in gunfire. A 26-year-old male was at GSW to the lips, mouth, with an exit wound in the back of the head. Patient is conscious and breathing.
Starting point is 00:12:49 You know, to Karen Stark joining me, a renowned New York psychologist, joining us from Manhattan at KarenStark.com. That's Karen with a C. Karen, that is just hearing that dispatch, it just brings everything back when my fiance was killed. Gunshot wound to the head. Gunshot wound to the head. Can you imagine what Mr. Rodriguez's family went through when they're hearing this?
Starting point is 00:13:16 It's a miracle that he's with us today, Nancy, and speaking. And I want to tell you that whenever you've had that kind of experience the trauma that you went through and he went through when you begin to hear something like that you could even be in a scene where you smell something familiar it will bring it all back you get re-traumatized that's not unusual but you hear Anthony Rodriguez talking about it like nothing really happened he got shot in the head, losing most of his teeth, half his tongue, has bullet fragments still, and his sinuses and lungs. That's traumatic, Karen.
Starting point is 00:13:56 Yes, it's traumatic. And if you're wondering why he sounds that way, not everybody reacts the same way. He seems like he's, I just from hearing him, a very considerate, I hope Anthony it's okay that I'm describing you this way, a very considerate person, somebody who doesn't really become very dramatic and dynamic when something happens. But it's real clear that this was a traumatizing event. Listen to Nick Bohr, WISN News 12. Police say video inside the restaurant shows her punching the waiter in the face, giving the gun to her sister Brianna, who pointed the gun at him and shot him in the face.
Starting point is 00:14:36 Brianna then, quote, stomps him in the face before the four women rush out. The waiter survived, his mom telling me it took, quote, miracle after miracle for him to live. Every doctor I've spoken with is astounded, she said. A GoFundMe is helping the 26-year-old who lost most of his teeth, half of his tongue, and has bullet fragments in his sinuses and lungs. That GoFundMe is all in for Anthony, and I'm definitely going to visit that as soon as we get off the air. All in for Anthony. This guy's been through hell and back and is joining us today.
Starting point is 00:15:15 Anthony Rodriguez, do you remember when the women came in to the George Webb? What happened? Yes, I do remember. I think that was a fair description from the psychologist earlier. Thank you so much for that. Honestly, I can't really go into too much with the details with the open court case, but I do remember it, and it started off quite normal, to be quite honest. You don't really, you know, you've got to try to treat everyone as fair as you can.
Starting point is 00:15:46 And, you know, some people have their quirks when they walk in and some things kind of stand out. But you try to treat everyone with dignity and respect as much as you can. So these, I believe there were four women that came in. Yes. They came in. Were they making a ruckus to start with, or did they just seem normal? They weren't making a ruckus to start with, but you could tell that they were a bit on the agitated side to begin with. Sly, passive-aggressive comments and stuff like that. You know, Wendy Patrick, joining me, veteran California prosecutor, author of Red Flags, host of Today with Dr. Wendy, KCBQ San Diego.
Starting point is 00:16:30 She's at WendyPatrickPhD.com. Wendy, I'm just telling you, after how long was I in prosecution? All in nearly 14 years at the end, I just had it. And still to this day with people that are aggressive and angry at the very beginning, I'd have an arraignment calendar with 125 felons in the courtroom, half of them in chains, half of them on bond and strutting around the courtroom, you know, dopers, child molesters, rapists, murderers. It's just an attitude. It's a bad attitude.
Starting point is 00:17:13 It would make me so mad I could chew a nail in half. You know, Nancy, you're right. You know, prosecution work is a balance of grace. Why are you laughing? I hear you. I hear you good. Anthony Rodriguez, he's one of a balance of grace. Why are you laughing? I hear you. I hear you got Anthony Rodriguez. He's one of a few people working.
Starting point is 00:17:29 It's midnight and four women come in just really looking for trouble with an attitude. I said that. You didn't say that, Anthony Rodriguez. I said it because we've been working on this case and we know they were aggressive and seemingly angry about something when they walked in the door. There's nothing that I like better than to forfeit somebody's bond who's rude in the courtroom. Nothing I like better. Nancy, I think we could take a lesson from Anthony because he's extending grace in circumstances that... Are you talking about me? No, I'm talking about Anthony Rodriguez's extending grace in circumstances that are you talking about me no I'm talking about Anthony Rodriguez is extending grace I mean he described at the
Starting point is 00:18:11 very beginning that anger gets the best of people he talks about patience all the kinds of things that most of us wish we had I do not know what universe you're living in. Because anger getting the best of you, you might like yell at somebody or curse at somebody or some people, not me, of course, make a profane gesture in traffic. But to take out a gun and shoot a guy that's standing there unarmed in the face, anger gets the best of them. Anger is not a defense in the face. Anger gets the best of them. Anger is not a defense under the law. The last I looked, Wendy Patrick, or there would be nobody in the penitentiary right now. What? Nancy, I'm quoting your guest.
Starting point is 00:18:55 When we began the segment, Anthony Rodriguez. I remember what he said. But he's not a lawyer, and you are. I think that's right. But the problem is we also have to make sure. And I think this is a, I mean, these facts are absolutely horrendous. And we have to make sure what? We have to make sure in a case like this, when we have somebody that.
Starting point is 00:19:14 You have to make sure he's really dead because they didn't just shoot him. They stomped on him in the face. They stomped on him. Oh, I am on your side. I'm not saying anything. I'm just saying that it really impresses me that your guest is so gracious, given what he went through. You know what, Wendy Patrick? You know how I feel about you. I think a lot of you.
Starting point is 00:19:35 But I asked you for a legal opinion, and instead, I'm getting Emily Post etiquette. Yes, he's being kind. But guess what? I'm not. Cut her. Cut her right now. Hillary Metz, investigative reporter, WISN 12 News. She's been on the case from the very beginning.
Starting point is 00:19:54 Hillary, I appreciate Wendy Patrick being so gracious and Anthony Rodriguez. I don't understand it, but I appreciate it. Hillary, what happened? Did these women actually shoot him and stomp him in the face? According to prosecutors, that is what happened. And the reason that they know that is because the entire event was captured on surveillance video from inside the George Webb restaurant. Crime Stories with Nancy Grace. To Anthony Rodriguez. Explain to me what happened. They come in. You get them seated, I guess, on a four-top in a booth, I'm guessing.
Starting point is 00:20:48 And they order. What went wrong? As I said, the food, everyone kind of comes and plugs in all at once. So orders are going to the shop all at once in some regards. So they can get backed up very quickly and customers will be waiting for long periods of time for the food because there's only one chef back there handling, say, like eight to nine orders because all the tables are full. Maybe even sometimes 11, 12 orders. Okay, so they order and it takes a while for them to get their food. Then what happens?
Starting point is 00:21:36 I was able to get food out for, I want to say, two of the individuals with the next two individuals getting their food right behind them, maybe another couple of minutes. And with that first order, either they didn't say it or I misheard them, but they told me that they asked for two hamburgers, not for one. I informed
Starting point is 00:21:55 them that if they wanted the second hamburger, that it was probably going to be another 30-minute wait after talking to a chef because the chef has to work on the orders as they come in. And what happened? You're telling me a lot about the chef and the order. I want to get to the two women, we believe both 20 years old,
Starting point is 00:22:23 impatient and rude, my words, not yours, while waiting for their order, become angry when a hamburger was missing, according to them, prompting one of them, what, what, what, Anthony? Well, then at that point, they decided that they were done waiting and that they didn't want to pay for any of the food. So I took the food away from them and said that, okay, but if you're not going to be paying customers, then I must ask you to leave and clear the table for somebody else. And that's when they started to get agitated and when things started escalating from there.
Starting point is 00:23:02 Okay, let me understand something. Lisa Daddio, former police lieutenant, Windham Haven PD, senior lecturer, director of the Center for Advanced Policing. Now see, what he just said makes perfect sense to me. They are like, where's my hamburger?
Starting point is 00:23:20 And he says, right there. And they say, well, we ordered two, not one, and he goes, okay, fine, that's going to be like 30 minutes because we only got one chef, and they say, well, we're not eating, we're not paying for any of this, and we're leaving, so he says, fine, leave, I could use the table, and starts taking the food, and when he takes the food that they're not paying for, according to them, they get mad. I'm sorry. What did they not understand with that scenario? When they see a price beside a hamburger, they think they're going to have it and not pay for it.
Starting point is 00:23:55 It makes no sense. This case and Mr. Rodriguez, I applaud you and your courage. The case just is horrific. And a rational, reasonable person can't figure out why it escalated over something. A $3 hamburger. But you know, Lisa, in your line of work as well as mine, I remember a woman, a guy being shot over a $10 debt, and I will never forget his mom knitting on the front row of the murder trial. I remember a woman who vouched for a hit of crack, and then the guy bought the hit of crack, and it wasn't what he expected. He goes back and shoots the mom who's sitting in a lawn chair in her front yard with her children. I mean, why? And now over a $3 hamburger. I mean, to Dr. Kendall Krause joining
Starting point is 00:24:53 us, renowned chief medical examiner from Tarrant County, that's Fort Worth, never a lack of business there. Lecturer, University of Texas, Texas A&M, faculty, University of Texas Medical School. It goes on and on and on. Dr. Crowns, did you hear his injury? Loses almost all his teeth, half his tongue, still has bullet fragments in his sinuses and lungs. What happened? So, Mr. Rodriguez, I'm sorry for what's happened to you. And I hope it's OK if we can discuss your injuries.
Starting point is 00:25:27 I hope it's not traumatizing for you. Well, I can tell you this much. It's making me feel sick in my stomach when I'm listening to Rodriguez talk, and I'm looking at this picture of his baby, and I'm thinking about the night shift and the wife on the morning, the mom on the morning shift trying to keep the baby out of daycare. And he picks up an extra shift to make extra money. And now this, I mean, for those of you watching or listening, if you can, I'm asking you to please go to the GoFundMe All In for Anthony and help this guy. Please help his family as little or as much as you can help him. Please help him. Dr. Kendall Crowns, I just, I don't understand why this had to happen, but explain to me the medical intricacies of what happened and how this guy, Anthony, is still alive.
Starting point is 00:26:28 So by looking at the photographs that are available of his injuries, it appears that it goes through the front of his face, right side. Are we looking at the same picture, the damage to his mouth? He may require a bone graft for upper mandible. The bullet came within millimeters of killing him. I'm looking at the bullet and the spinal cord. It's right beside. It looks like it's touching the spinal cord. So, yes, Nancy, we are looking at the same pictures. It's blowing out his upper teeth along the right side of his head taking out the the incisors to
Starting point is 00:27:08 the molars fracturing the upper jaw which is also called the maxilla looks like there's portions of the bullet lodged in his tongue and kind of his pharynx or back of his throat region and then the bullet itself continues traveling through the neck musculature or the structures of the neck and then lodges right in front of his vertebral column, fracturing his vertebral column. Are you talking about his spine? His spine, I apologize. Yes. Fracturing his spine along the area of cervical vertebrae numbers three and four, but does not penetrate the cavity where his spinal cord
Starting point is 00:27:49 sits. But that can cause shock waves that probably resulted in him being unconscious. The thing is, is it is a miracle that he's alive because that area of the spinal cord, if it had gone any deeper or caused any more damage, keeps his diaphragm functioning, which makes you breathe. So if it had gone any deeper, any further, it would have resulted in him being either quadriplegic and ventilator dependent for the rest of his life. Let me understand what you're saying. I think you just said he got shot in the mouth with a handgun. I believe it was a 9mm.
Starting point is 00:28:35 Goes through the mouth, rips apart his teeth with the force. His tongue goes through the neck, down, and to the spine. In the picture, it looks like it's actually, from what I have, touching the spine. And if it had touched the spine, if it had gone through the spine, he would either be dead or a quadriplegic living on a ventilator the rest of his life. Is that what you said? That's correct. Back to Anthony Rodriguez, who is a living, walking, breathing miracle.
Starting point is 00:29:14 Anthony, one of the women leave and come back in with a weapon. When did you realize she came in with a weapon? I actually never saw the weapon. To be quite honest, I realized that I must have realized that after I got shot and sent to the hospital and stitched up and a day or two later, I woke up and that's when they were able to kind of give me the details of what happened. What do you remember? I just remember the altercation and just trying to de-escalate the situation and that not working. What were you telling them to calm them down?
Starting point is 00:29:58 I can't really remember offhand what I was telling them, but I was just telling them that it's okay. Like, you can just leave. It's fine. Like, just go. It's, you know, but they had other things in mind, I guess. They wanted their voices to be heard. Take a listen to our Cut 19, Nick Bohr, WISN News 12. Early January 30th, according to a criminal complaint, four young women at a corner booth at the Wauwatosa George Webbs got, quote,
Starting point is 00:30:30 impatient and rude and were told to leave. Instead, police say 20-year-old twin sisters Brianna and Brianta Johnson argued with staff and started to get physical. A source tells us the women were upset about the speed of their order, and when it did come, it was missing a hamburger, a less than three dollar item at Webb. According to the criminal complaint, Brianta, in the midst of the argument, came outside here to their car and returned with a gun. And more from Tony Atkins, TMJ4. Anthony Rodriguez says it could have all ended here at this George Webb
Starting point is 00:31:06 when he asked four women to leave the restaurant. That's when he was attacked by one of the women and shot by her sister, according to a criminal complaint. I feel lucky. It's incredible just where I'm at and just being able to walk and speak. If you listen closely, you can hear the raspiness of Anthony Rodriguez's voice is because a bullet is permanently lodged near his throat. The bullet went through my upper lip right here and then it knocked out the right side of my teeth.
Starting point is 00:31:36 The cause of that bullet, he says, I can definitely tell you that it started because they were missing a burger from their order and everything just kind of escalated from there. Missing a burger from their order. How I would love to prosecute this case, and it would be over my cold, dead body that they got anything less than 30. Cold, dead body. Anthony Rodriguez amazingly is with us right now.
Starting point is 00:32:12 Anthony, what's the last thing you can remember from that night? Once I got to the hospital, I remember just staring up at the effort I remember getting put to the ground I remember hearing a bang and I just remember staring up at the ceiling not being able to really move and I remember coughing up blood and coughing up teeth just trying to control my breathing as best I can, but just telling myself, like, I'm going to die here. This isn't the way that I wanted to go.
Starting point is 00:32:55 It was the longest. You think that it probably wasn't a long time for EMS and for everyone else to do their thing, but it had to be the longest couple of minutes that I have experienced in my life. I'm just trying to take in what you just told us. You can remember coughing up blood and teeth and thinking you were going to die. Is that right? Yes, ma'am.
Starting point is 00:33:27 Did it hurt? Could you feel pain? Fortunately for me, I don't really remember feeling the pain. I just remember the inability to move. I remember trying to first get up and brush it off like it was normal and then falling back down to the ground right away and just not really being able to move after that
Starting point is 00:33:54 and struggling to do what I can to maintain my breathing and just maintain what real body movement that I could and trying to stay as abandoned and alive as possible. What were you thinking about? What went through your mind? My son. His face and his face. Hoping that he was okay and sound asleep.
Starting point is 00:34:24 So in the middle of all that, you're lying there, blood coming out of your mouth, spitting out teeth, can't move, and you think about your son, your three-year-old son. Yes, ma'am. Unfortunately, it felt like a long time, so once I was able to keep my breathing at a steady pace. That's all you can do is think about what's good in life. What do you mean? You try to, I guess, the strategy was to think of as much positive things as possible and hope that you're going to make it through it.
Starting point is 00:35:06 You know, Dr. Kendall Crowns, I've asked you this many, many times. Could the victim feel anything? And you usually tell me, no, they didn't feel anything. That's total BS. You hear what Roderick has just said, right? Well, I did hear what he said, and I agree that some victims don't feel it because they are dead instantly, and some victims that survive will feel pain. I mean, anybody that survives is going to feel pain from it.
Starting point is 00:35:37 Anthony Rodriguez, you've got to know, in the midst of all of this, how lucky you are, how an angel was on your shoulder that night. Take a listen to our cut one. This is Kieran Dillon, CBS 2. Does the name Crystal Nieves ring a bell? As the rain trickled down, the family of 19-year-old Crystal Beiran Nieves gathered outside the Burger King in East Harlem, where she was killed, to lay flowers in her honor and to pray for justice. Police have released these images of the robbery that took place just before one Sunday morning at the Burger King on East 116th Street near Lexington Avenue.
Starting point is 00:36:17 That's where Beiran Nieves was working as a cashier when an unknown male, masked and dressed in all black, entered the restaurant and demanded money. Police say Beiran Nieves was shot in the torso as the robbery progressed. Police say two other people were injured during the course of this robbery. A female manager at the restaurant was punched in the face and a male customer was likely pistol whipped. Both are expected to recover. Family members tell us Bayron Nieves and her family had just moved to New York from Puerto Rico a few years ago. The teenager had only been working at Burger King for the past few months. The family is now pleading with the person responsible to turn themselves in. Prime Stories with Nancy Grace. Tell me, joining us from us from wis and she's been on the case
Starting point is 00:37:08 from the very beginning hillary what did the surveillance video reveal so it pretty much matched up with anthony's story uh minus a few details um so what it shows is after the, you know, at the table with the food incident. So they start kind of making their way towards the register. At one point, Brianta Johnson. So these are two, the suspects are two 20-year-old twin sisters. So Brianta Johnson is wearing a blue hoodie. The video shows her go outside and returns with a gun. And at some point when they're at the register and there's this confrontation,
Starting point is 00:37:56 it says that, let's see, somebody takes a punch at Anthony, and then Brianna takes out the gun and hands it to her sister, Brianna. And it shows, let's see, that she attempts to pistol whip Anthony, and he's lying on the ground, and she extends her hand, aims and shoots him in the face. And then the sister, the video shows, stomps Anthony in the face, and then all four take off. Wendy Patrick, I believe I'm going to circle back now to your discussion of anger, how they were angry. I'm angry right now. I am angry right now, but I can tell you this much. I'm not going to shoot anybody, even though I want to, because I don't want to be separated from the twins and my husband. Bam. It's called impulse control. Anger is not a defense under the law. They hit him in the face. They stomp on him. They specifically get out the gun, hand it off, aim for his face and pull the trigger.
Starting point is 00:39:12 That is intent. Oh, absolutely. And I think that video is simply going to corroborate what Anthony has described, that the sequence of events as it unfolded proves nothing other than intent. And this is one of those things I know some people have used the term argument. This doesn't sound like an argument. This sounds like unprovoked anger spiraling out of control when here we have Anthony taking advantage of an opportunity to make more money for a young family at home, literally on the precipice of wondering whether he's ever going to see his
Starting point is 00:39:45 precious son again. Talk about not recognizing how dangerous a job working the night shift can be at a restaurant. And I'm just so blessed. We're so blessed, Anthony, that you're with us to be describing this. Hillary Metz, where are these two, Breonta Johnson and Brianna Johnson. So they are both in the Milwaukee County Jail being held on $100,000 cash bail. They are both charged with attempted first-degree intentional homicide. They better not get a bond, a lowered bond or a cheap plea deal. Anthony, I am looking at a picture of you and you're holding your son. You've got a beautiful smile. I mean, it looks like you wore braces.
Starting point is 00:40:33 That looks like a mouthful of orthodontia to me. I'm currently paying for two sets. What? Perfect teeth. I've never wore braces in my life. How are you going to get teeth back? And what can they do about your tongue and are you supposed to go the rest of your life with bullet fragments in your body um
Starting point is 00:40:50 i but it's still a lot of the medical questions unfortunately are still up in the air um they want to wait until things heal up more um but it sounds like i i will be able to get my teeth replaced at the very least. My tongue has been stitched back together in a way. And that's why I'm able to speak and articulate as much as I can right now. Praise God. Praise the Lord. Anthony, do you have family that can help you right now? Yes, I have a very, very good support system. My mother has been very generous in letting me stay back with her.
Starting point is 00:41:36 And she's been helping me with the doctors and making sure that I'm healing correctly and almost keeping me in my place. Because sometimes I feel like I'm not doing enough and I'm just staying still. But she tells me to slow down and just make sure that healing does what it should be doing. Wow. And you know what? They say there are no good men left. Anthony Rodriguez, father to a three-year-old boy, trying to work extra hours to support his son. The GoFundMe all in for Anthony. We wait as justice unfolds. Nancy Grace Crime Story signing off. Goodbye, friend.
Starting point is 00:42:24 You're listening to an iHeart podcast.

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.