13-year-old boy stops kidnapper with a $3 toy his mom bought for him

It was an ordinary afternoon back home from school when Owen Burns heard his sister screaming. He was annoyed at the intrusion her screaming brought, thinking nothing sinister of her squeals for help.

But when he looked out his window, he was shocked but recovered quickly enough to make a life-saving decision.

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Owen Burns was settling in to play his favorite game “Call of Duty: Black Ops II” on his PlayStation 3 when he heard his sister screaming from their yard. The 13-year-old thought she was goofing around and became annoyed.

Moments later the teenager looked out his bedroom window to see a stranger trying to drag his 8-year-old sister to the woods edging their home.

The panicked teenager grabbed his slingshot and got his hands on any immediate ammunition he could find; a marble and a rock. He directly aimed at the kidnapper and hit him squarely between the eyes.

The second time, he hit him in the chest. “He was swearing. He was cussing,” Owen told the press.

So cops came back today searching agian for this dudes sweater and they found it was actually a shrit thing he threw in…

Posted by Maggie Kay Burns on Thursday, May 11, 2023

The encounter happened at the Burns’ home in Alpena Township in Michigan in broad daylight. Their mother Maggie Burns noted that kidnappings were unheard of in the area.

At the end of the encounter, his 8-year-old sister was safe albeit probably traumatized from the incident. The kidnapper was a 17-year-old that the Michigan State Police did not identify but have confirmed will be charged as an adult.

“He really is the one that … I believe saved his sister’s either life or from something seriously bad happening to her,” Lt. John Grimshaw said at a news conference, calling Owen’s actions “extraordinary.” This young boy’s actions were nothing short of heroic!

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He added that the young man should be commended for his efforts.

The slingshot the teenager used was nothing out of the ordinary. His mother bought it on clearance for $3. The teen would at times go out to his yard and target practice on old orange juice cans which apparently perfected his aim.

The teenager said when he first saw a kidnapper attempting to abduct his sister one thought immediately crossed his mind; the stranger if successful in his attempt would likely either make his sister a sex slave or kill her.