A 70-year-old Vietnam veteran with a concealed-carry permit shot two men who were trying to rob him at gunpoint Thursday morning in St. Louis.
According to local media reports, the man was dropping off a friend when two young men pulled up beside him, pointed a gun at him and attempted to rob him. The vet responded by opening fire with his concealed handgun, killing 19-year-old suspect Billy Dickerson and injuring 23-year-old suspect Perry Richardson.
"He feared for his own life,” said Madison County State's Attorney Tom Gibbons. “He feared for the life of his friend and just took decisive action in that moment."
Authorities said the self-defense actions could help solve dozens of other crimes in the area, as both suspects were wanted for other violent crimes in Missouri and Illinois.
