When a 70-year-old Vietnam veteran from St. Louis was confronted by armed suspects in Madison County, Illinois, on Thursday, he pulled his own gun and opened fire, killing one and wounding the second.

According to KSDK, the veteran was dropping off a friend in the “200-block of Abbott Street.” Madison County State’s Attorney Tom Gibbons said, “Two individuals rolled up next to [the veteran and his friend] in a vehicle, asked for directions, and when they had their attention, took out a firearm.” When the veteran saw the gun, he reacted by pulling his own weapon and opening fire.

The veteran killed 19-year-old Billy Dickerson and hospitalized 23-year-old Perry Richardson.

Gibbons pointed out that both suspects were “wanted for other violent crimes” and suggested the veteran’s actions would bring “closure” to cases police had been trying to solve.

He also stressed that the veteran had a concealed carry permit and that armed citizens carry guns in the event of such an incident. Fox 2 quoted Gibbons saying, “The Courts have consistently recognized the right of a law-abiding citizen to carry a concealed weapon for the purpose of self-defense. This incident yesterday morning is the exact situation where the necessity for this right becomes crystal clear.”

Gibbons said the veteran’s actions should be a warning to all criminals planning to target would-be victims in Metro East. “You could end up staring down the barrel of a gun.”

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.