BEECH GROVE, IN – A 17-year-old who ostensibly saved his coworkers life in late November following a shooting at the KFC he worked at was fired two days after the shooting after the heroic teen shared his story of the near-tragedy with a local news outlet.
On the evening of November 28th, police say a 24-year-old man who was fired from the KFC located along the 4000 block of South Emerson Avenue earlier that day returned to the location, shooting one of his former coworkers in the head.
Police say the suspect was arrested at his home shortly thereafter without incident under preliminary charges of aggravated battery. As for the victim, he was transported to an area hospital in serious but stable condition.
The victim’s survival is being credited in part by the actions of his 17-year-old coworker at the scene of the shooting, Drew Gardner, who apparently leapt into action amid the chaotic scene and worked to stop the bleeding on the victim’s gunshot wound.
“They brought him in, and I saw he was bleeding out of his head and my first instinct was to stop the bleeding and stuff, so that’s what I did.”
Once police arrived on the scene and began tending to the victim, Gardner says his injured coworker “was going to be safe with police.” Gardner’s mother, who also spoke with the local news outlet about the incident, shared how proud she was of her son’s quick actions despite the dire situation.
Gardner, who is autistic, was seemingly humble when faced with the accolades and praises from strangers online who heard of his heroics, telling the news outlet, “My mom showed me texts from her Facebook friends and stuff like that and they’re calling me a hero. I don’t think I’m a hero. I just think I’m someone who just let someone live longer.”
The KFC in question was closed until November 30th in light of the shooting, which Gardner’s mother had seen the location had reopened and wanted to talk with her son’s manager about details surrounding the original incident.
“When I went in there, I did approach her to talk privately in the back to go over some things about what happened. She refused to go in the back. We had to do it in the lobby in front of customers. It did get heated between her and I. And questions were not answered.”
The aforementioned exchange led to Gardner’s mother calling police to the location in an effort to hash out the inquiries she had about the shooting and also workman’s comp information regarding her son. But in her quest to learn more about the shooting her minor son was victimized in-part by, the manager at the KFC decided to fire the teenage hero.
“The officer, after speaking with me and hearing everything that’s going on and hearing that I’m Drew’s mom and the shooting that happened, he did go inside to retrieve the paperwork for Drew’s workman’s comp. He came out and he said, ‘Unfortunately, she wanted me to communicate to you that your son is no longer needed here, and this is considered trespassing for you.’”
Gardner says his termination feels like “a betrayal in a sense,” telling the local news outlet that he thought of his coworkers and manager as his friends. Nonetheless, Gardner feels like he did nothing wrong in trying to save his coworker’s life.
“Like, I feel like a life is worth more than a job. So I’d rather lose my job than have him die.”
A spokesperson for KFC noted that the location in question is a franchise location and is “responsible for its own hiring and firing decisions,” but further claimed that the franchisee has claimed that the teen was not fired, despite the reality of Gardner’s current circumstances.
Gregory Hoyt is a former contributor to outlets such as Law Enforcement Today and Red Voice Media, and current host of The Breakdown with Greg Hoyt. Based out of Sierra Vista, Arizona, Hoyt is a staunch and outspoken advocate of law enforcement and first responders, while also harboring the unique experience of having spent nearly 5 years in prison. Since then, he's used his unique perspective to offer support and commentary about the criminal justice system. When not working or combating bad ideas, Hoyt also leisurely studies economics, history, and law.