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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- Gunfire at a local pawn shop this morning left an armed robbery suspect dead after police say an employee took matters into his own hands.
 
It was just after 9:30 Wednesday morning, in the northwest part of the valley, when bullets started flying inside the Cash America SuperPawn, after a store employee confronted a man who entered the store with a gun.
 
 “I can tell you, there was an exchange of gunfire between the store employee and the individual who entered the store, both of them were armed,” said LVMPD Officer Bill Cassell.
 
When police arrived, they found the suspect, with multiple bullet holes in his body, lying dead inside the store.  The store employee was unharmed.
 
“It appears that the individual who entered the store did so with the intent of robbing the business,” Cassell said.
 
The deadly shooting surprised one neighboring business owner.
 
“I was just shocked,” said Joe Pierro who owns Market Grille Café across the street.  “I thought it was just too close to home. It panicked me.”
 
Although he said violent crimes like this are relatively uncommon in this neighborhood, Pierro is going to use this morning's shooting to teach his staff how to better protect themselves.
 
After Peirro himself was held at gunpoint during a violent robbery, he now believes store employees should do whatever they have to when their lives are in danger.
 
“I'm glad it was the suspect that it turned around this time,” Pierro said. “It's too many times you hear it's the other way around.  Somebody goes to an attempted robbery, and the owner or manager, somebody gets killed from it.”
 
We're told it is against SuperPawn policy for anyone to carry a loaded gun inside their stores.