A 13-year-old boy has saved his eight-year-old sister by shooting a suspected kidnapper with a slingshot. Police say the girl, whose identity remains anonymous, was hunting for mushrooms near the woods on the outskirts of Alpena Township in northern Michigan.
The victim’s uncle posted on Facebook that the 17-year-old male suspect had a “black mohawk” and had appeared out of the woods, covered the girl’s mouth and attempted to drag her away.
But her 13-year-old brother came to her rescue, spotting the struggle from inside the family’s home and taking action, when he used his slingshot to fire objects at the kidnapper’s head and chest.
Commander of the local Michigan State Troopers Lieutenant John Grimshaw said: “That caused him to let go.
“The girl was able to struggle and get away and he shot another one, hit the suspect in the chest and then fled the scene,” he told 9 and 10 News.
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He added that the suspect confessed he intended on severely beating the girl once he’d kidnapped her.
The unidentified suspect, who remains anonymous on account of his age, ran from the two children and tried to hide prior to authorities finding him at a nearby gas station, MailOnline reports.
The victim’s heroic brother has been praised for his courage and easing the police’s search for the suspect.
Grimshaw said: “What he did also helped us to identify who the suspect was, because obviously he had injuries from getting hit with a slingshot.”
The victim and her parents are both understandably disturbed but the girl is unhurt, authorities have said.
Her uncle, Gary Quintel, posted on Facebook: “I’m very proud of my nephew and I know my niece’s traumatized and I’m sending prayers for her [that] had to be extremely scary for her.’”
Grimshaw additionally offered some advice for anyone that might be a victim of an attempted kidnap in the future.
“Fight, fight, do everything you can bite the hand that’s hold in your that has one hand over your mouth.
“If that’s the case, stomp on their feet, kick them in the shin, do whatever you can to fight.
“And then if your mouth is free, scream as loud as you possibly can.”
The suspect is currently being held in a jail cell, with his next court date scheduled for May 17.
