An armed security guard was in the right place at the right time last Thursday, selflessly saving his neighbor from a brutal attack.

Police were called to an apartment complex near the Meadows Mall on Mission Laguna Lane around 10 p.m. by the security guard who reported the shooting.

Las Vegas Now reports:

Investigators believe the dead man had been abusing his girlfriend for hours before the shooting.  They said the victim had obvious signs of abuse and was bleeding from her face.  They also believe the man had kicked down a door inside the couple’s apartment earlier Thursday.

Before the shooting, police believe the woman ran from her apartment and found a neighbor she knew in the parking lot. The woman’s long-time boyfriend apparently chased her and got into an argument with the neighbor.

“There was a verbal argument and there was some yelling,” said Metro homicide investigator, Lt. Dan McGrath.  “What I was told by the security guard was he told him to back up.  He told him to get back or he would get shot.”

Police said that during that confrontation, the neighbor fired one shot, hitting and killing the boyfriend.

Police did not release the identities of the persons involved in the incident, only specifying that the domestic abuse suspect was an African-American man in his 50’s who had a history of domestic violence with his girlfriend.

The security guard stayed on the scene and was cooperating with police in their investigation. The Clark County District Attorney will decide whether he will face charges, but Police said it appears the man was simply defending the woman from the assault.