“He’s my hero. Because I can only imagine how it would’ve went if he wasn’t armed. We might not be here having this interview,” Markus Washington told 6WBRC.

Washington was working at a Birmingham McDonald’s when he heard gunfire.

“I was making two quarter-pounders and heard three shots ring, and then exchange of gunfire two more,” he said.

The incident occurred at the McDonald’s on Lomb Avenue around 10:45 Saturday night – just as the restaurant was closing.

When an employee unlocked the door to let customers – a father and his two sons  – out, a masked man barged in and began shooting.

The father shot back.

Washington said he hid in the freezer, and from there, heard more than 15 shots fired.

Police said both the father and the masked man were shot, along with one of the hero’s sons. The gunman later died from his injuries. The father and his son are expected to recover.

Investigators are not clear whether the perp was robbing the store or targeting someone in the business, police told WVTM.

Washington and his coworkers are thankful the armed father was there at that moment.

“I’m feeling grateful,” Washington said. “Wrapping my head around it all, I was just wishing someone would come wake me up from this nightmare.”

“It’s truly sad, but it’s something as a community we can overcome,’‘ Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Bryan Shelton said, according to AL.com. “We just have to work together to find a solution to our issues without resorting to violence. Right now it appears the victim made a decision that cost his life and the father made a decision that preserved his and children’s’ life.”

Police don’t expect the father to face charges.