A Florida man is alive today thanks to a quick-thinking youth who used a firearm to put an end to an attack on his uncle.

The incident occurred in Cape Coral, Florida, located in Lee County on the Gulf of Mexico. The ninth most populous city in the state, Cape Coral was rated as one of the Safest Cities in America by WalletHub in 2023.

Still, the city of about 200,000 has some bad guys, which often requires good guys to keep them in line. Such was the case on August 13 when, according to reports, 55-year-old Norbert Mess Jr. got in a physical altercation with his girlfriend.

According to police, the fight occurred at the woman’s home, where her juvenile son was also located. Police haven’t released his name because he is under 18 years old.

The woman called her brother for help, and he went to the home to try and diffuse the situation a bit. But when the brother arrived, Mess, who was waiting outside with brass knuckles and a solid wooden rod, began beating up the brother, who was also the boy’s uncle.

According to officers at the scene, the boy ran into the house, grabbed a gun, came back out and pointed it at Mess in an attempt to discourage him from continuing the attack. Undeterred, Mess continued to beat on the boy’s uncle.

That’s when the young boy fired at least eight shots, killing his uncle’s attacker and putting an end to the bad situation.

“At that point, the son was in fear for his uncle’s life,” police said. “All parties involved cooperated with the investigation and detectives determined that the son shot Norbert Mess in self-defense to protect his mother and uncle from serious bodily injury or death. No charges will be filed.”

According to media reports, police are continuing to investigate and gather evidence in the attack.

Because of the domestic nature of the case, officers have not revealed the son’s age. But regardless of how old he was, his quick thinking and ability to access a gun saved the life of his uncle and possibly also his mother.