A heroic Alabama dad armed with a pistol saved customers and employees from a potential mass shooting Saturday inside a Birmingham McDonald’s when he took down a masked gunman who had barged in and opened fire.

According to WBRC, the father was leaving the fast food joint with his two teenage sons when the gunman walked in and started shooting. The dad whipped out his pistol and returned fire, with a full-blown shootout ensuing. The gunman was eventually killed, while the father and one of his teenage sons were struck by bullets and are in the hospital recovering from non-life-threatening injuries.

Markus Washington, one of the McDonald’s employees, sang the father’s praises to WBRC, saying, “I’m feeling grateful … 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.”

Washington said he ran into the freezer with another employee when the bullets started flying and heard about 15 shots fired while in his hiding spot.

“All we hear is like different gunfire, so in my mind, I’m imagining everybody is dead. He’s looking for us,” Washington said, referring to the masked gunman.

Local police have said that the father is not expected to face charges, and authorities are now working to ascertain whether the gunman intended to rob the restaurant, was targeting an employee or planned something more nefarious.

The incident occurred at the McDonald’s on Lomb Ave across from Princeton Hospital.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn