At the right place at the right time, and more

At the right place at the right time

A father and his severely autistic son helped foil a potential gun massacre in Dearborn, Mich. Doug Berry, 58, often takes his son Patrick to an Amtrak station to watch the trains, a pastime Patrick finds soothing. But last week, Doug spotted an armed man lurking outside the nearby police station, and alerted the authorities. Police later said the man had planned to open fire. Patrick wasn’t aware of what happened, but Doug credited his role in stopping the bloodshed. “Because my son has autism, I was at the right place at the right time,” he said. “Happy ending.”

Never too late for Billboard's Hot 100

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A 96-year-old has become the oldest person to hit the Billboard Hot 100, after a touching ode to his departed wife went viral. Fred Stobaugh of Illinois wrote the lyrics to “Oh Sweet Lorraine” a month after his wife’s death and sent it in to an amateur music contest. The contest’s organizer, Jacob Cogan, was so moved by the words that he set them to music—and a viral video about the project has helped the song race up the charts. The former truck driver never imagined his poem would touch a nerve with so many. “It just seemed like it fit her,” he said.

Son apologizes to father's victim

The 15-year-old son of an accused mugger met this week with his father’s alleged victim to make amends. Christian Lunsford sought out Tona Herndon—who had her purse snatched while visiting her late husband’s gravesite in Bethany, Okla.—after learning that his father, Shane, had been arrested for the crime. The teenager met with Herndon to apologize and give back $250 he had recently received as a gift from his ex-con father. But Herndon, touched by his gesture, immediately handed back the cash. “He gave and I received, and I gave and he received,” she said, “so it worked out.”