A 12-year-old boy is being hailed as a hero after fatally shooting one of two armed robbery suspects.
What are the details?
Goldsboro, North Carolina, police say that two armed robbery suspects entered 73-year-old Linda Ellis’ home on Saturday demanding money, WTVD-TV reported Sunday.
One of the suspects reportedly shot Ellis in the leg, prompting Ellis’ 12-year-old grandson to retrieve a handgun in the home and fire on the two suspects, causing them both to flee the scene.
Police discovered one suspect, 19-year-old Khalil Herring, near an intersection by the home while responding to the scene. From there, they transported him to a local hospital, where he succumbed to his gunshot injuries.
Randolph Bunn, Ellis’ son — as well as the 12-year-old boy’s great uncle — told WTVD that the child likely saved lives.
“[The suspects] came in the house, I open the door, I open it, and they came in here,” Bunn recalled. “One guy had a gun. They just put me down on the ground.”
“I don’t know why they shot her,” he said of his mother. “He would’ve shot him, too, he would’ve shot me too. He would’ve killed us all.”
A press release from the Goldsboro Police Department stated:
During the course of the investigation, it was determined that two masked subjects forced their way into the residence located at 402 S. William Street, demanded money, and subsequently shot Ms. Ellis. During the robbery, a 12-year-old juvenile occupant of the residence shot at the suspects with a firearm in self-defense, causing them to flee the area. Preliminary evidence suggest Khalil Herring was one of the two masked intruders and was shot during the robbery. Charges against the juvenile occupant of the residence that fired the aforementioned gun are not anticipated by the Goldsboro Police Department. The investigation into the armed robbery and subsequent shootings is on-going.
Ellis and the unnamed suspect were transported to Wayne UNC Health Care hospital.
Authorities say that charges against the 12-year-old boy are not anticipated, and the investigation remains open.
WTVD’s Michael Lozano tweeted about the happening, writing, “A 12-year-old Goldsboro boy fired off shots at two masked robbers who broke in & shot his grandmother, Linda Ellis. One of those robbers died from their injuries.”
There is no further information on the second suspect at the time of this reporting.