BATON ROUGE- A store clerk's quick thinking saved his life Sunday morning when he shot an armed robber who pointed a gun at him and demanded cash.

When Rico Clayton Jr. tried to get behind the counter, that's when "D from Detroit" said he grabbed a weapon under the register and fired shots at Clayton to save his life. "D" wound up shooting Clayton in the side. He collapsed in the store and was rushed to a hospital where he died.

"I was very scared," "D" said. "I've seen death in front of my eyes."

The armed robbery took place Sunday morning at the Neighborhood Mart on Dougherty Drive.

"He was telling me give me the money or I'll shoot you... straight up," "D" said.

Surveillance video shows the gunfire exchange and bullets shattering a crock pot of nacho cheese. That's when you see the shots hit the suspect and he falls to the ground.

Abub Akr owns the store. He said in his years in business, he's never had anything like this happen. In fact, the man behind the mask who was trying to rob them was a regular customer.

"When he takes the mask off his face I tell him what happened," Akr said. Why'd you do that? He always comes to the store with no problems."

The armed robber asked for water after he was shot, which Akr said he was given before paramedics rushed him to the hospital.

As "D" recalled the terrifying moments, he said he would do the same thing again to protect himself.

"I have a family, and everybody's got a family," "D" said. "We are just trying to eat."

Right now the store clerk is not facing criminal charges as the shooting was ruled self-defense. The investigation is ongoing, but police said the surveillance video supports the clerk's story.