Father eating with sons shoots, kills gunman at McDonald's

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A father eating at an Alabama McDonald's with his two sons is being called a hero after he shot and killed a masked gunman who stormed the restaurant and began shooting.

The incident occurred Saturday night in Birmingham as the man and his kids were leaving as the restaurant was set to close.

As the family was exiting, the gunman ran through the front door and opened fire. The father pulled out his own gun and returned fire, The Ledger-Enquirer reports.

The man and one of his teen sons were also shot in the exchange, but neither suffered life-threatening injuries. The gunman died at the hospital.

A McDonald's employee who hid in a backroom freezer during the gunfire calls the father a "hero," according to WBRC.

“Because I can only imagine how it would’ve went if he wasn’t armed,” the employee said. “We might not be here having this interview.”