LEXINGTON, Tenn. — A West Tennessee liquor store owner took the law into his own hands, firing at two men he said tried to rob him.

Johnny Adams said it was just a typical night at his Lexington liquor store late Tuesday until two masked men came in with what looked like a gun, demanding money and punching him in the face.

“He said ‘I’m going to rob you, I’m going to rob you,'” Adams said. “I was sitting on the chair and I was thinking, ‘yeah, right.'”

Adams said he did not put up a fight until one of the suspects punched him square in the nose.

“I can hurt you if you do crazy stuff to me,” Adams said. “I can’t deal with you hitting my mouth.”

That’s when Adams said he reached for the pistol hidden under the register. He fired one shot, narrowly missing the suspect.

“I’m 61, and this is the first time that I’ve ever shot a gun,” Adams said. “No wonder I shot the wall, but I really meant to hit him.”

Adams then chased the men out of the store, firing one more shot and once again missing.

“If they’re in fear of death or bodily injury, they have the right to defend themselves,” Capt. Jeff Middleton with the Lexington Police Department said.

The suspects are described as light-skinned black men driving an older-model Camaro. Though the description is vague, Adams said he will never forget them.

“He didn’t have tattoos, dreads or piercings,” Adams said. “He was clean cut, but he hit me like I was a piece of crap.”

Adams said he only suffered minor injuries during the robbery. Investigators said the entire incident was caught on surveillance cameras but that they are not yet ready to release it.

If you have any information about this robbery or know who the suspects may be, call Lexington police at 731-968-2211.