Clerk says he was shot by same Spanaway gunman: 'This guy's going down ... not going to hurt nobody else'

SPANAWAY, Wash. -- Don Hulford, a clerk at the Spanaway Deli Mart, says when he saw video of a holdup man shooting a female clerk at another store in Spanaway this week, he recognized the gunman.

"The eyes and the way he held the gun were really similar," said Hulford, who was shot by a man who robbed his store last Saturday.

Hulford says at first he thought the gun was a fake. "When I smirked at him, he didn't hesitate, he popped me. He just shot me."

Hulford is still bandaged after he says the robber shot him in the hand.

On Thursday, a man with a gun entered the Pacific Quickmart in Spanaway and tried to rob the store. But the clerk pulled a gun and fired at him. She missed. He fired back, and hit her in the side. He then fled without his money or mask.

Within a couple of hours, deputies arrested the suspect at a gas station in Tacoma. He was identified as Tyrone Prophet Jr.

Prophet appeared in court Friday and pleaded not guilty to assault and attempted robbery. He is being held on $1 million bail.

The clerk was treated at the hospital for her gunshot wound and released.

"I just thank God that she's alive and she's OK," Hulford said, adding later, "This guy's going down and he's not going to hurt nobody else."