As reported, early Thursday morning, the man was near 1st and Clark in Milwaukee, WI when a 19 year old and a 17 year old approach and threatened his life with a gun, as part of a robbery attempt. The would-be victim was armed, and fired one shot, which killed one robber, 17 year old Kevin Ollie. At this point, that robber unintentionally shot his 19 year old accomplice, who survived and is in police custody. The robbery victim was unharmed.
Once again, we can see that guns save lives. Had this man not been armed, he could have been killed by this pair of violent robbers who care more about taking a few dollars than the life of their victim. Fortunately, this man was armed, and was able to save himself. Milwaukee benefits too, as one violent criminal is permanently off the street, and another will likely face a lengthy prison sentence.
In similar previous cases, I’ve seen some people criticize the victim who fired in self defense, due to the age of the criminal. To that, I would say a few things. First, a 17 year old male is often near the peak of his physical strength, and can pose quite a threat if violent. For example, at 17 years old, I stood 6′2″, and could bench press 245 lbs. Luckily for those around me, I was as peace loving and law abiding as I am today – but had I been violent then I doubt that your average 38 year old would have been able stop me, without a gun. Secondly, while a 17 year old likely lacks the judgment of a 40 year old, they certainly know right from wrong, and are not immature children. Virtually every 17 year old who commits robbery does so with the understanding that their actions are illegal and dangerous, and cannot reasonably claim age as an excuse. Thirdly, second guessing a citizen who defends themselves is almost never proper, as I discuss here. Finally, while it is sad that this young man’s life is over, just as any loss of life is sad, it is far better that the criminal suffer than his innocent victims.