WATCH: Off-Duty Officer Tracks Gunman Through Costco Before Shooting Him Dead

Kansas City Police Captain Michael Howell tracked Randall Hunt through a Lenexa, Kansas, Costco then shot him dead.

Surveillance cameras captured Hunt walking through the store with a gun unaware that Howell was following at a distance, waiting for an opportunity to stop the threat.

According to Police One, Howell was off-duty when the incident occurred. He had gone to Costco in search of an “electric fireplace.” He was walking aisles with a friend when Hunt entered the building and announced, “I’m an off-duty U.S. Marshal, I’m here to kill people.”

As customers fled to the back of the building, Hunt followed. Howell fell in behind Hunt and tracked him, waiting for the opportunity to intervene. Howell said, “I knew that there was a threat that had to be stopped.”

When Howell had a clear view of Hunt he yelled, “Police, drop the gun. Don’t move.” Hunt ignored the order, so Howell repeated it. Hunt then turned and pointed his gun at Howell, at which time Howell shot him dead.

Although Howell was widely praised for the action he took to save lives, he brushed off the compliments by saying, “I’m just a cop doing my job.”

Howell said, “My greatest fear was we had kids with their moms, with their grandmas, with their dad. It was little kids running and screaming. And seeing the fear in their faces and knowing whatever it took, I had to do whatever necessary to end this threat so they wouldn’t get hurt.”

The Daily Mail reports that Hunt was not affiliated with the U.S. Marshal Service. Rather, he had been a “long haul trucker” and was living in his truck when he entered the Costco with gun in hand.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News, the host of the Breitbart podcast Bullets, and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.