A fast-thinking teenager found himself in a position few would ever want to be in. 

Outside playing, the 13-year-old Michigan teen had no reason to think his day would take a tragic turn. 

But when it did, his quick actions helped save his sister from an attempted kidnapping.

And it was all thanks to his trusty slingshot.

Owen Burns was outside, with his 8-year-old sister. Suddenly a stranger walked out of the woods behind their house. The man went straight up to the young girl, grabbed her and covered her mouth, Michigan Police wrote in a statement.

Her mouth was closed and he was hugging her on his chest. My sister kicked him and then he started running after her,” Owen told reporters on “Good Morning America”.

As the girl managed to pull herself free, Owen quickly grabbed his slingshot.

“I get my slingshot, got a marble and rock, then I shot [the suspect] three times in the head and chest,” he said.

The siblings ran into the house, as the would-be kidnapper fled. Their parents, Andrew and Margaret Burns, said they couldn’t believe their ears when the kids came yelling into the home.

Owen Burns demonstrates how he used his slingshot to save his sister from a potential kidnapping. Photo from YouTube

“They were in a state of panic and screaming and she was crying and the only word I could make out of the whole conversation was kidnap,” Margaret Burns told WGTU.

Police searched and found the suspect at a nearby gas station. The 17-year-old was identified, they said, due partly to the slingshot injuries to his head and chest.

“What he did helped us to identify who the suspect was because obviously, he had injuries from getting hit with a slingshot. To see that and pop into action that quickly is extraordinary and he should be commended for it,” Post Commander Lt. John Grimshaw said.

The suspect was quickly arrested. His name has not been released due to his age, but he was charged as an adult, and with attempted kidnapping, assault and battery.

Owen’s parents told reporters they were “extremely proud and forever grateful” for their son’s quick-thinking and heroism.

Once it all set in, it kind of hit pretty hard,” Andrew Burns said. “Because it could have been a whole different outcome.”

And for Owen, there wasn’t any hesitation about what he would do for his sister if the situation arose again. 

“If it does happen again, I’ll (get the slingshot) again,” he said.

What an amazing young man! Watch the interview below and get a glimpse of his save-the-day slingshot.

Sources: People | Good Morning America | WGTU