A 77-YEAR-OLD WOMAN BECAME HER OWN HERO WHEN A MAN ATTACKED HER IN THE DARK. (PHOTO).

 A 77-year-old woman became her own HERo when a man attacked her in the dark. He appeared out of nowhere while she was feeding the community cats before sunrise. 

On the morning of Monday, October 5, the woman had stopped at Macclenny Veterinary Hospital in Florida to feed the cats, like she always does. 

That’s when a man approached her in the parking lot with bad intentions.

According to authorities, 57-year-old Alvin Tyrone Tisdale attacked the woman and violently forced her into her own vehicle. While the elderly woman was being assaulted in her car, she had the wherewithal to reach for her handgun, and shoot her assailiant.

With the imminent threat immediately neutralized, the brave woman called 911. Authorities arrived quickly, at approximately 4:30 a.m. 

The man was trying to rob and kidnap her..... and God knows what else.

But she did not go quietly. She reached for her gun and shot him.

The woman, whose name has not been publicly released, later told investigators she did not know Tisdale and had "never seen him before in her life". 

That all must have been absolutely terrifying. It was her typical early morning routine. She had gone out to feed the cats, and now a man she didn’t know was attacking her inside of her own vehicle.

Tisdale, who lived in Macclenny, was taken to a hospital in Jacksonville, where he died from his injuries. The women was obviously quite shaken up... but she was alive. 

The Baker County Sheriff’s Office said its preliminary findings indicated that the woman acted in self-defense.

The woman has fully cooperated with investigators, and the shooting remains under investigation.

The woman is well-known around Baker County for helping animals. A sheriff’s office lieutenant said she regularly volunteers to feed community cats at local businesses. She also has the cat's spayed and neutered. People genuinely appreciate her good deeds.

And at 77 years old, she fought back.

I’m so thankful she was able to protect herself. I hope she’s doing all right after everything she went through. This cat lover had claws.