A customer with a concealed carry permit shot and killed a masked man wielding a hatchet inside a 7-Eleven early Sunday morning.
The King County Sheriff’s Office was called to investigate the incident in White Center, Wash., at 5:45 a.m.
According to the store clerk, the assailant began swinging the hatchet at a customer before turning his sights to the clerk himself. The mugger went behind the counter and began assaulting the 58-year-old clerk, all without uttering a single word.
Fortunately, the clerk only sustained minor injuries to his stomach before his attacker was struck by gunfire. Medics arrived shortly after and pronounced the attacker dead on arrival.
The hero, a 60-year-old regular at the convenience store, was drinking his morning coffee when the attack occurred.
“The customer’s a nice guy,” said another store clerk. “He’s been coming here for about 12 years. He buys scratch tickets in the morning time. He buys coffee. He’s a good guy.”
“Fortunately, because of this customer with his weapon, this could have been a lot worse,” said King County Sheriff’s Sergeant Cindi West.
“The clerk could be the one laying there dead on the floor right now.”