A Waffle House waitress in Georgia says she was fired for shooting her gun at three fleeing robbers.

Heather (Shorty) Burkinshaw-Stanley said she was only trying to defend herself and her co-workers, The Newnan Times-Herald reported Sunday.

“I was in fear for my life, my co-workers’ lives, and I did what I thought was right,” she told the paper.

Three men ate at Burkinshaw-Stanley’s Waffle House early Thursday. Instead of paying for their meal, the men gave the cashier a note threatening to shoot everyone if their demand for money from the register wasn’t met, the paper reported.

Police said they left after another waitress gave them $200.

Burkinshaw-Stanley said her gun was in her car.

“I safely fired a round in the air in an attempt to scare the robbers who were in the process of getting in their vehicle, not knowing if they were retrieving their weapon to return to the Waffle House,” she said on GoFundMe. “My shot must have gotten their attention as they rapidly drove off.”

The paper reports that Burkinshaw-Stanley was told she was fired on Friday. She had worked at the Waffle House for two years.

A Waffle House spokesman declined to discuss the matter, the paper reported.

Burkinshaw-Stanley said she was seeking donations because she is raising three kids and her husband is disabled.