On Monday afternoon, at a jewelry store in Conroe, TX, four armed assailants learned the old lesson “you don’t mess with Texas” the hard way.

After demanding money, purses and jewelry, the armed idiots began shooting at employees and customers inside the store.

But this is Texas, so three store employees pulled out their firearms and shot back at the assailants. Store owner Jeffery Turner Jr. actually used his AK-47 to fend off the robbers, shooting one of whom died at the scene.

“You always have a right to defend yourself, especially when the robber shoots at you,” said E. Tay Bond, Turner’s attorney. Bond said Turner reported and all the witnesses confirmed the four armed robbers started shooting first. “Jeff does keep an AK-47 for defense purposes.”

Based on the evidence at the store, Conroe Police Lt. Dorcy McGinnis said “there was a lot of gunfire.”

“I heard what I thought was a car backfiring,”said Alice Long, a worker at The Cabinet Company, which sits in the same strip mall as the jewelry store. “Then I heard sirens real close.”

According to a statement by Conroe Police Department, the other three men fled the scene in a white Dodge Charger, which was found abandoned not far from the jewelry store.

The DEA brought in helicopters to help with the manhunt, however, the three remaining suspects are still at large. Officials are not releasing the name of the deceased man at this time.

Everybody say it with me, “Ya don’t mess with Texas!”