As with too many days this year, the constant drumbeat of negative headlines gets me down sometimes. With that in mind, let’s take a brief look at a story out of a suburb of Chicago which I will characterize as “good news” at the risk of terrible backlash. The problem is that it’s a story involving multiple people being shot. But there’s at least a happy ending.

As CBS Chicago reported this weekend, Cicero, Illinois Police Officer Luis Duarte was on patrol when he pulled over a black Mercedes. Rather than reaching for his license and insurance card, the driver pulled out a gun, exited the vehicle and began firing at the cops, striking Duarte multiple times and then training his fire on another officer at the scene. Unbeknownst to both the perp and the police, a civilian with a concealed carry license was stopped at the red light at the same intersection. Rather than hitting the gas and heading for the hills, this unnamed (for obvious reason) Good Samaritan exited his vehicle, drew his firearm and got in the battle on the side of the good guys.

He fired three shots hitting a suspect who had just shot a Cicero police officer. CBS 2’s Mai Martinez talked to the person about the harrowing incident…

On the phone, because he doesn’t want to be identified, the Good Samaritan who stepped in Thursday to help a Cicero police officer who was under fire talked about what prompted him to take action in the moment.

“I was there in the right time and the right moment,” he said. “My instincts, you know, told me to do what I did. I didn’t think twice to do what I did.”

“Well, like I’m thinking you know, save that officer’s life you know, and then I tried to help that officer,” the unidentified man said. “I take a towel in my car and wrapped it around his arm.”

The man said he’s owned the gun he used for 16 years but this was the first time he ever shot at anyone.

Sixteen years of legally owning and carrying a firearm without once having to draw it in anger. And when the moment arrived, he shot a criminal who was in the process of attempting to murder two police officers. Shouldn’t the mayor have some sort of medal that they give out to people like this?

How many times are we reminded by the gun control groups that the ancient tale of “a good guy with a gun” is a myth? It doesn’t happen, right? Well, truth be told, it doesn’t happen all that often given the number of people in this country. Thankfully, that’s because most of us are fortunate enough to go most of our lives without running into a murderous madman. But that doesn’t mean that it can’t or won’t happen, particularly if you live in or around most of our major cities.

It’s not for everyone, to be sure. The Second Amendment doesn’t imply that you are forced to own a firearm and nobody can make you jump out of your car and possibly into the line of fire when that moment arrives. But for those with the instincts this man demonstrated, we can be grateful that such people are still among us. At least two officers are probably alive today as a result of this anonymous man’s actions. We salute you, sir.