The 16-year-old thug with a shotgun had already robbed a Shreveport, Louisiana great-grandmother several weeks ago in December, and must have considered her easy pickings again. He couldn’t have known that after the first attack, she’d hidden a handgun in her safe in case he came back. He reached out for the bag of coins she had in her left hand, and that’s when she made her move.

“He reached for the bag of coins, and that’s when I fired my gun and hit him with the first round, and he went back and then he tried to grab his gun to aim it at me,” Pipkins said. “I grabbed the barrel and I pushed the barrel up and I fired another shot and that’s when he broke and ran out of the house.”

At least one round struck Young in the chest, and caused him to drop his shotgun and run from Pipkins’ home. Pipkins followed Young outside and fired the remaining three rounds in her handgun, but missed Young with each.

Young ran from the home and made it nearly a block before he collapsed.

Young was taken to University Health where he was later pronounced dead.

“Just $55 in coins, and he lost his life, Lord Jesus I wish the young people today would just think, go to school, get an education and a good job and buy what you want,” said Pipkins. “Don’t try to take from someone who has worked all their life and still doesn’t have nothing to give.”

Elzie Pipkins was protecting three generations of her family when she fired at Devon Antonio Young. It was the first time she’d ever fired a gun in her life, and she no doubt hopes it will be the last.