A suspected burglar was shot dead by a 13-year-old boy who used his mother’s Colt. 45 pistol to defend himself while home alone.

On seeing a man entering the home through the back the young teen from Charleston, South Carolina, grabbed the gun and fired at him.

An exchange of gunfire in the home ensued, resulting in Lamar Anthwan Brown, 31, (pictured above) receiving three gunshot wounds, while his suspected accomplice Ira Bennett, 28, was later arrested and charged.

According to Charleston Police Department, the boy kept firing at the two suspects even when they fled the scene in a car, resulting in gunshot holes in the vehicle.

Police stated that Bennett dropped fellow suspect Brown off at Trinity Hospital after fleeing the crime scene. Brown died of his wounds.

Ira Bennett, 28 (Picture: Charleston County Sheriff’s Office)

The boy’s mother told the Post and Courier: ‘ I’m speechless right now. Who knows how this would have turned out.

‘I tell my kids that if anything ever happens to call 911, but I also tell them to protect themselves if they have to.

‘I never would have dreamed that this would have been a part of our day today.’

Both suspects had extensive criminal records - Bennett has now been charged with first-degree burglary and possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime.