THOMASVILLE, N.C. -- A man is sharing his story after being stabbed while trying to keep a dangerous intruder away from his family's livelihood.
The store he owns with his brother also had his 88-year-old grandfather inside.
We talked with the man who's back at work less than 48 hours after getting hurt.
Hugs, heckles from customers, and haggling over what temperature to set the air conditioning at.
A normal day at work for Wes Anderson from Thomasville, N.C. after a very abnormal week.
"It just felt like he punched me in the chest," said Anderson who has owned this store for 10 years.
However, Anderson wasn't punched.
Investigators say he was stabbed by Jerick Gray, who was trying to run away from police after robbing a bank.
"So I was bleeding all through here," Anderson said as he showed us blood splatters on the concrete outside of Anderson R/C.
Anderson said he was trying to stop the suspect from getting through Anderson R/C's front door.
Inside was his biological family, his brother and his grandfather.
Plus, his extended family: the customers he loves.
"This is our second home. This is what we have. This is ours. We have all these customers and family and friends," said Anderson.
So, why come back to work less than 48 hours later?
Those same folks.
"We do a lot to put the smiles on kids' faces to be able to come in here. That's our drive to come in here. Something like that isn't going to stop us from doing that," said Anderson.
His bravery and love is being shown right back to him.
"The biggest thing is the tremendous outpouring on social media. I've never felt so appreciated or loved as I do right now," said Anderson.
Wes says today, he is just a little sore.
While his brother could have died, Matt Anderson likes to look at the positives of this whole situation.
"I mean that goofball over there just brought us Gumbo! 33 and never had Gumbo! I've had Gumbo today. My brother got stabbed, so I got some Gumbo," said Matt Anderson, absolutely giddy with excitement.
As for that suspect, Jerick Gray.
Police say an officer shot him to keep Gray from injuring someone else.
He later died at the hospital.
As for the officer, they are on administrative duty while the investigation is still ongoing.
