Giacomo Bologna

Springfield (Mo.) News-Leader

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The Pizza Hut had just closed for the night, and outside, William Hotop could see only darkness.

"Bam! Bam!"

A man was knocking down the glass door, so Hotop, 31, said he bolted for where he knew he could find a gun inside the restaurant. He saw the intruder reaching for something from his hoodie pocket, so Hotop dropped to his knees and leveled the gun.

The man pointed a gun at him, and they both pulled triggers, Hotop said.

"It was like, 'Oh, s---,'" he said Tuesday. "I know you can't put that in the news, but that's the best way I can describe it."

► July 15:Would-be robber foiled twice by bankers’ hours

► June 20:Florida man fights off armed intruders with machete, board

As the man fired more shots, Hotop said he took cover and then chased the man outside, firing two shots.

"It was a good old-fashioned gunfight," Hotop said. "I protected (Pizza Hut) like it was my home. I love my job."

Within a minute, police officers were on the scene, but the man with the gun was already gone, he said. The restaurant did not have security cameras.

No one was injured and no one has been arrested, police said. And the matter is still under investigation.

"Minutes after robbing a group of teens in the parking lot while brandishing a firearm, a male forced entry into the Pizza Hut by kicking the front glass door," according to the police report.

Hotop believes his actions early in the morning Sept. 12 could have saved his life and the lives of two other employees. He added that no money was taken from the Pizza Hut, where's he worked for about two years.

Since then, Pizza Hut has suspended him without pay and fired the manager working that night, Hotop said.

A representative from Pizza Hut did not respond to a request for comment.

"I can't believe that after I protected the store, I'm basically losing my job," Hotop said, adding that the manager should not have been fired.

► Nov. 17:Division III quarterback tackles would-be purse snatcher

► 2013:Burger King worker hid robbers' getaway car, police say

Hotop said he's also afraid he might be targeted because of a prior felony conviction. About a decade has passed since then, and he came here to get a new start in life.

The gun he fired that night was not his though he hopes to one day again have the right to carry a firearm, he said.

It's been two weeks since the shootout, and Hotop is hopeful he can go back to doing what he loves: delivering pizza.

"Hearing kids say, 'Pizza!' Knowing I made their night? That puts a smile on my face," he said.

Follow Giacomo Bologna on Twitter: @GBolognaNL