Rare Old Ones

Sometimes, we're shocked when we someone this old getting shot, like we assume they should know better or something.

A 34-year-old New Orleans man was fatally shot in the 400 block of North Tonti Street Thursday evening, police said. The victim died in front of a newly constructed shotgun-style house. The man, who declined to give his name, said the victim was a neighborhood resident and was getting ready to put the finishing touches on the house.
Standing against the yellow crime scene tape, he said the victim was around the neighborhood every day, and they had spoken a few hours earlier.
"He said he was going to be a millionaire in five years," from his real estate dealings, the man said. "He didn't make it."

Daniel Monteverde over there at the Times-Picayune is working on his literary chops apparently, what with the stage directions and scene building.
This quote, is it meant to be ironic?