Detroit native Joe Lanier believes that his own gun, for which he has a concealed-carry license, saved his life after a teenager attempted to rob him at gunpoint on Wednesday.
“He was on my window with his gun. If I wasn’t on my P’s and Q’s, I would have been gone,” Lanier, a 24-year-old father, told WXYZ.
When asked if he thought having his gun saved his life, the young dad quipped, “That’s why [the assailant is] in the hospital and not me.
“The boy tried to rob me and I shot him,” he said matter-of-factly.
According to the report, Lanier was sitting in his car while out on business as an exterminator when the teen drew his gun and demanded his sunglasses. Lanier responded by firing seven shots.
Lanier then headed down the road and called 911. Lanier’s mother, Angela Lanier, arrived on the scene shortly after, saying that her son was licensed and she was an instructor herself, having taught all her children how to responsibly defend themselves. She said it was the first time her son had used his gun in self-defense.
“Thank God it’s not my son and I’m not burying him,” Angela Lanier told the news station. “So if your children do not have any felonies, I advise everyone to pack. I pack, my sons pack and we’re all legal with it.”
According to WXYZ, the teen, 17, was taken to the hospital and was in critical condition.
Read more at WXYZ.