A man tried to rob a Houston-area fireworks store on the Fourth of July but was shot with his own revolver by a quick-thinking employee who grabbed the weapon when the gunman briefly put it down, police said.

"We believe he set the gun down on the counter" to gather money in the robbery, said Harris County Sheriff's Deputy Eddie Hazel in a news update.

"During that exchange, the complainant grabbed the gun and discharged it one time at him, striking him and incapacitating him."

The 19-year-old robber was struck in the face by the bullet from the revolver and taken to the hospital Thursday.

Jason Spencer of the Harris County Sheriff's Office told BuzzFeed News on Friday the suspect remains in critical condition.

The man reportedly received first aid from a nurse who was nearby at the time of the shooting.

Only two employees were behind the counter, and there were no customers at the stand during the robbery.

The employee who shot the suspect is "very distraught; he's very upset," Hazel told Houston's KRIV-TV.