She was playing and having fun in the yard when the screams came. Owen\u2019s little heart stopped when he hurried to the window, fearing that she might be in danger. The 8-year-old girl was being violently pulled toward the woods that bordered the family\u2019s house.<\/p>\n
Owen reached for the closest ammunition he could find, a marble and a rock, and retrieved the $3 slingshot his mother had purchased for him, knowing he had to move quickly. He knew he could hit the kidnapper because he had practiced using the slingshot by striking used orange cans.<\/p>\n
Unbelievably, Owen managed to strike the kidnapper twice: once on the chest and once between the eyes. He was using profanity. Owen told the Washington Post, \u201cHe was swearing.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The girl was left alone when the kidnapper fled. Although the incident severely traumatized her, at least she was safe and sound, and her brother\u2019s courage and quick thinking were entirely responsible for this.<\/p>\n
When they got home, the siblings called their mother, who at the time was assisting a relative. She hurried home and called the police as soon as she learned what had happened.<\/p>\n
The alleged kidnapper was found by Michigan State Police. Although they did not disclose his identity, they stated that he was a 17-year-old who would face adult charges.<\/p>\n
At a news conference, Lt. John Grimshaw described Owen\u2019s actions as \u201cextraordinary\u201d and stated, \u201cI think he saved his sister\u2019s life or prevented something bad from happening to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The kidnapper \u201ccame from behind her, grabbed her like you see in the movies \u2014 hand over the mouth, arm around the waist \u2014 and was trying to pull her into the woods,\u201d Grimshaw added in her account of the encounter.<\/p>\n
Maggie Burns, Owen\u2019s mother, didn\u2019t think her son was telling the truth when he claimed to have struck the kidnapper on the chest and in the eyes.
\nAccording to a police press release, \u201c[the suspect] had obvious signs of an injury consistent with those that would have been sustained from the slingshot strikes to his head and chest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI lie all the time, you said!\u201d To his mother, Owen said.<\/p>\n
She answered, \u201cI just couldn\u2019t believe it.\u201d Until evidence was presented, it simply didn\u2019t seem real. It has the sound of something you might see in a movie.<\/p>\n
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The teenager remarked, \u201cMom, things that happen in movies can and do happen in real life.\u201d<\/p>\n
Owen\u2019s status as a true hero is obvious. The entire community has commended him for his efforts to protect his younger sister. Excellent work, young man.<\/p>\n
She was playing and having fun in the yard when the screams came. Owen\u2019s little heart stopped when he hurried to the window, fearing that she might be in danger. The 8-year-old girl was being violently pulled toward the woods that bordered the family\u2019s house. Owen reached for the closest ammunition he could find, a…<\/p>\n