An Arizona gas station clerk thwarted an attempted robbery early Wednesday morning after he shot a suspect who allegedly pointed a gun at him and demanded money.
During his graveyard shift at an Avondale Chevron gas station, the clerk — identified only as Brian — told Fox 10 that a masked customer entered the store and pointed a gun at him after mumbling the words “rob” and “money.” Brian added that the suspect didn’t have to say anything at all. “The moment he pointed the gun at me, it was pretty obvious what he was there for,” he told the outlet.
In the moments that followed, the suspect turned his gun on another customer, prompting Brian to pull out his own gun in defense of himself and the other customer in the store, the outlet reported.
#NEW: An armed gas station clerk says he shot a suspect who pointed a gun at him and a customer during an attempted robbery Wednesday morning in Avondale. https://t.co/WtAYJ9uzd7
— FOX 10 Phoenix (@FOX10Phoenix) January 18, 2023
“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,” police said in a statement. (RELATED: Watch Would-Be Robber Flee Store After Clerk Whips Out Gun)
Brian allegedly shot the suspect once. First responders then arrived on the scene and took the suspect to the hospital in critical condition.
Brian maintained a cool head under pressure, telling Fox 10 that as a graveyard shift worker he “trains” for this, keeping vigilant with situational awareness and weapons training.
Police will be reviewing surveillance footage as they continue their investigation of the incident.