"Great-grandmother who shot robber says 'God was with me'"

A 70-year-old woman with a concealed handgun permit stops a robbery.

Great-grandmother who shot robber says 'God was with me'
Ironton woman not likely to be charged, police say
Thursday, October 22, 2009 7:40 PM
BY JOHN FUTTY
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

When an armed robber barged into a North Side motel room Wednesday night and ordered the six people there to the floor, he put a 70-year-old woman closer to her handgun.

The great-grandmother knelt between the beds, reached into her purse on the floor and pulled out her .357 Magnum pistol.

She fired one shot at the robber, who staggered from the room, collapsed in the parking lot and died.

"It's a wonder she didn't shoot us all," said her 51-year-old son, who was preparing to hand over his cash when he heard the gunshot. "She's the worst shot in the world.

"She said to me, 'God was with me tonight. You know I couldn't have done that myself.'"

None of the family members, who live in Ironton, wanted to be identified, fearing retaliation; and the woman didn't want to be interviewed. They have moved to a different room in the motel.

"She's torn all to pieces," her son said. "Who would ever want to shoot someone?"

Wayne Winston, 25, died of a single gunshot wound in the chest, Franklin County Coroner Jan Gorniak said yesterday. Police listed his address as "streets of Columbus."

The woman has a permit to carry a concealed gun, her son said, and carries the gun she inherited from her late husband. . . . .

Thanks very much to Daniel O'Carroll for this link.