Don's Guns employee back to work

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Ben Chance was busy at work on Black Friday. After 19 years at Don's Guns, he's never been more thankful to be here.

“I managed to make it,” he said. “I’m a lucky man.”

Chance was back at work for the first time Friday since being shot in the chest by a customer Sept. 17.

Surveillance footage shows a customer leaving the shooting range and approaching the counter to return a rental weapon.

“When I go to grab the gun, he grabs the gun off the counter,” said Chance.  “And he pointed. Once you point a gun at me you’re a threat.”

VIDEO | Ben Chance returns to work – video contains strong content

So Chance drew his gun. The customer fired, striking Chance in the chest.

“It ricocheted off my shoulder blade and came out the back of my side,” he said.

Chance returned fire. The customer fell to the ground. Chance then ducked beneath the counter and took his boss, Brenda Duety, with him.

“It was all like a movie," said Duety.

Chance said the customer was able to fire off several more rounds before dying.

“Had I not dropped to the ground, he probably would’ve hit me another time or two,” said Chance.

Chance moved across the store to dial 911. Duety followed and applied pressure to his chest wound.

"If it wasn't for her, I would've probably died," said Chance.

“I was just telling him to hang on – that help would be there,” recalled Duety.

For both, who've known each other nearly two decades, minutes seemed like hours.

"It seemed like forever," said Duety.

Chance spent more than two weeks in the hospital and several more in physical therapy. Friday marked a milestone. He’s now back at work and a step closer to what life used to be like, though questions remain.

"Everybody can guess but nobody's really gonna know what this guy was really thinking," said Chance.  “Nobody wants to hurt anybody but you put yourself in that situation. I have to protect myself and everybody around me."

Don’s Guns owner Don Davis said Chance did exactly what he was trained to do.

“What he did is what we teach people,” said Davis. “You shoot me, I’m going to shoot you.”

Chance faces no criminal charges.