Disgruntled customers are just part of business; it is impossible to make everyone happy when providing a service. However, most don’t reach the level that happened to a North Carolina auto repair owner. He actually had to use a gun to stop a mass shooting at his shop.

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On June 6, officers responded to a shots fired call from Chemistry Lab Paint and Fab in Denver, N.C. Employees called 9-1-1 around 5:40 p.m. as a man walked in and started shooting. The shop owner fought back by grabbing a shotgun and firing a shot at the suspect, who police later identified as Emery McQuiller.

After being hit by pellets, deputies claim that McQuiller allegedly fled to a wooded area behind a restaurant and hid the gun. He then ran into the restaurant and asked to use the restroom to clean up. However, that’s where deputies found him, taking him down right in front of the hostess.

“I was really shaken up by it because I have never seen or had to deal with anything like this,” said hostess Imani Batts to WSOCTV. “Just a lot of blood everywhere, on his arms and he was just hurting – you could see it and run out of breath pretty much.”

Other than the minor injuries suffered by McQuiller, no one was injured in this incident that began over a dispute.

North Carolina Auto Repair Owner Had Filed Restraining Order

McQuiller faces multiple charges, including possession of a firearm by a felon. However, what’s most interesting is that the shop owner had filed a restraining order against McQuiller that very morning.

Supposedly, McQuiller had become upset over work done on his car. McQuiller then, according to the shop owner, started sending threatening text messages. He also called the shop owner’s mother in Florida and said he was watching her son; he even provided the son’s address as proof.

“It’s sad that that’s the day and age we live in where if you have a problem with a person, you can’t just talk it out,” said Lincoln County Sheriff Capt. Matt Lykins. “We are very fortunate that no innocent bystanders were struck or hit.”

Of course, if criminals paid attention to laws, the incident would have never happened. As a felon, McQuiller cannot legally possess a gun. As a criminal, he didn’t seem care about any of the laws he broke that day.