Boy who saved sister by hitting would-be kidnapper with slingshot speaks: ‘I had to’
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Loading... - Lotta Koskinen
- 22 May 2023
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A 13-year-old boy from Michigan recently displayed incredible bravery and resourcefulness when he protected his sister from a potential kidnapper by using a slingshot. Owen Burns explained that he grabbed the unconventional weapon out of sheer panic as he witnessed the unfolding danger, and it was the closest thing at hand.
During an interview with CNN, Owen shared his motivation, saying, "I felt scared, and I knew I had to do something. If I didn't, she would've been taken away or something even worse."
Owen's act of defending his sister with a modern version of the ancient weapon, famously used by King David to defeat Goliath, has turned him into a viral sensation in the United States. He appeared on various media platforms in recent days, recounting the incident that took place on May 10th in Alpena Township, a community in northeastern Michigan.
According to Owen, his eight-year-old sister was outside their family home, searching for mushrooms when he heard her scream twice. Alarmed, he paused the video game he was playing, looked out the window, and saw a stranger attempting to abduct his sister.
"I was freaking out," Owen recalled in an interview with a local TV news outlet.
Acting swiftly, the teenager reached for his slingshot, grabbed a marble and a rock, and opened the window. He loaded both projectiles into the slingshot's pouch, pulled back the bands, and fired them at the assailant.
Owen successfully hit the 17-year-old attacker in the head and chest, allowing his sister to escape from his grasp and run back inside their home. The assailant fled into the nearby woods but was apprehended by officers when they found him attempting to hide at a nearby gas station. His injuries matched those caused by being hit with a rock and marble fired from a slingshot.
The perpetrator now faces charges of attempted kidnapping, among other offenses, according to the police.
