A good samaritan saved a 7-11 clerk on Sunday by shooting a hatchet-wielding man who had attacked the store.
A 60-year-old man with a valid concealed carry license was drinking his morning coffee when a masked man, later identified as 43-year-old Steven Blacktongue, entered the convenience store and began attacking the clerk, Kuldeep Singh. The attacker slashed Singh across the stomach several times without saying a word. At that point the concealed carrier drew his firearm and shot Blacktongue, killing him.
Police said that the concealed carried did nothing wrong and ended up saving lives.
"This could have been disastrous. Had this [customer] not shot, who knows what would've happened," King County Sergeant Cindi West told KIRO. "We might have a dead clerk right now and instead, we have a dead bad guy. We do not see any wrongdoing on the part of the customer."
"In fact, he probably saved lives in this case."
Singh said he feared for his life during the attack and is glad to be alive. A friend of his, who also works at the convenience store, told the news station that the concealed carrier was a "good guy" for intervening and stopping the attack. The concealed carrier was not expected to face any charges.
The attacker's motive remains unclear as witnesses said he did not utter a word during the attack.
The hatchet attack is reminiscent of an attack in North Carolina where a father attacked his son with a chainsaw. That man's attack was also foiled when he was shot to death by his intended victim.