A store manager said he was acting in self-defense Thursday when he shot a man at a northwest Harris County Shell gas station.
It happened around 9:15 p.m. at the store on FM 1960 and Champions Forest Drive.
The gas station manager told investigators his store clerk was alone in the front of the business when the man entered the store.
The employee said the man was visibly intoxicated and began knocking things off of shelves and confronted the clerk.
"He went in the store, knocked a few things over. The clerk had asked him to leave and he refused. The clerk then called the manager and the manager returned," said Lt. William Gray, Harris County Sheriff's Office.
The manager said when he returned, he also asked the man to leave several times, but he still refused.
Investigators said that is when the manager went out to his car and grabbed his gun.
The manager told deputies when he returned he thought he saw a sharp knife or box cutter in the man's hand.
According to deputies, the man then lunged at the manager, and fearing for his safety, the manger shot him once in the stomach.
The man was rushed to Ben Taub Hospital in critical condition, but is expected to survive.