An armed gas station worker in Arizona shot a would-be robber pointing a gun at a customer on Wednesday morning.
Shortly after 5 a.m. local time, a masked man stormed into a Chevron gas station in Avondale.
The clerk, who has only been identified by his first name Brian, told FOX 10 that he was working the graveyard shift when the attempted robber came in and mumbled something about “rob” and “money.”
The suspect then pointed his weapon at Brian and another customer in the store.
Brian told the news station that he knew he needed to act to protect himself and the customer.
“In all reality, he didn’t need to say anything,” he said. “The moment he pointed the gun at me, it was pretty obvious what he was there for.”
As soon as the suspect was distracted, Brian sprung into action and shot him.
“The suspect became distracted by another person in the store and the store employee took the opportunity to pull out and use his own firearm, shooting and injuring the suspect,” the Avondale Police said in a statement.
No one besides the suspect was injured during the incident.
“I had the opening to pull my gun and shoot,” the clerk said. “That’s pretty much the whole thing.”
“I’m not happy I had to shoot him, but I’m not stressing. The moment he pulled the gun on me he set the situation and I just followed it. He made the situation what it was,” the clerk told 12 News.
According to a report from Arizona’s Family, investigators have said that the clerk will not be charged for the shooting.
Police are now reviewing the surveillance footage of the incident.
The suspect remains in critical condition. His identity has not been made public at this time.
