St. Louis Dad Saves His Daughter, Shoots Attackers Who Held A Gun To Her Head

Late Monday night the St. Louis father saw events unfolding that are a parent’s worst nightmare, but his quick actions saved the day for his 17-year-old daughter. Things could have ended much worse that night for his family.

His daughter had gone outside around 11 pm to get something out of the car. Two gunmen approached her and put a gun to her head, forcing her to go back to the house. KTVI reports that the dad was visiting his daughter and her mother that night, and he saw what was happening. He and the teen’s mother both sprang into action. He pulled his own gun, and she got a gun as well.

St. Louis has been named the most dangerous city in America by the FBI, but one family has fought and won against the violence plaguing their city.

The 34-year-old dad, who asked not to be identified, told KTVI:

“He was holding her hostage. She was a human shield. So I did what I had to do…. It just happened. I didn’t have no choice. He had my daughter so I did what I had to do.”

The mom and dad both fired shots. The mother’s rounds missed the gunmen, but the father fired with more accuracy, hitting both of his daughter’s attackers, leaving one dead and the other seriously wounded.

The intentions of the gunmen are still unclear, but neither of them are strangers to trouble with the law.

Terrell Johnson, 31, was pronounced dead on the scene in the family’s living room. He has served time in prison for first degree robbery.

The other gunman, Cortez McClinton, 33, has prior convictions on his record for drug possession and distribution, as well as vehicle tampering. According to StLToday, he was also charged in the 2010 murder of 28-year-old Bryan Reed. The victim and his friend were approached as they sat in a car on April 24 in the wee hours of the morning. Reed was shot several times and killed. The charge was later dropped because witnesses were not cooperating. Police are asking that anyone with information on this case call Crimestoppers at 866-371-TIPS.

McClinton wore a mask during the attack. He was behind Johnson when he was shot, and he allegedly pointed his gun inside the doorway. The teen’s dad shot him in the chest and both thighs, but he managed to escape. McClinton later contacted his brother to drive him to the hospital, where he remains in critical but stable condition.

He now faces charges of second-degree murder, kidnapping, burglary, and armed criminal action.

Last year, The Inquisitr reported on home invasions in Texas and North Carolina in which homeowners were armed, and the robbers were killed as they found themselves face to face with weapons similar to those that they would have used on their victims.

The night could have ended very differently for this St. Louis family, but one dad’s quick thinking and skill possibly saved his daughter’s life. Her attackers were the ones who were shot instead of her. The gunmen picked the wrong people to mess with that night.

[images via bing]