On the morning of August 8, 1996, Clyde Bratcher was running late. He wheeled into the parking lot of the Midway Branch of the Bank of Clarkson, Kentucky, where he was manager. Walking quickly to the door with his keys in hand, he took time to survey the parking lot. Except for his car, it was empty. Checking the surrounding businesses, he spotted one car parked in the little strip mall across the street.

Bratcher entered the bank and began placing cash drawers at the teller stations. He later recalled, "I noticed that this vehicle was leaving the parking lot across the street and I watched it drive around behind the bank. As it passed the back window, I saw that the man driving the car wore rubber gloves:' It was the middle of summer, yet the driver also wore a heavy coat.

Knowing that something was very wrong, he walked over to his desk and picked up a .45caliber AMT Hardballer semiautomatic pistol. With the gun at his side, he then moved to the teller window, focusing on , the strange man outside. He watched the car circle the bank before pulling into the handicapped parking area within four feet of the front door.

Bratcher now had an unobstructed view of the car. The man stepped out, and Bratcher noticed that he wore a black stocking mask over his face. He reached into the car and pulled out a large caliber center-fire rifle.

The bank manager's heart was pumping. He didn't have time to call the police because the man was already at the door. Using the counter for cover, he readied himself. He clicked off the safety and hurriedly checked his gun.

Bratcher recalled, "The robber opened the door and looked in. He didn't come inside, but he was holding the rifle in his right hand and holding the door open with his left hand. When he saw me, he immediately aimed the rifle right at me:'

The bank manager had only a split second to react. Before the gunman could fire, Bratcher raised his .45 and squeezed the trigger. The concussion rocked the lobby. For a moment, everything seemed to slide into slow motion.

The robber lowered his gun and ~` backed out the door. Turning, he ran the four steps to his car. Just before he reached the door on the driver's side, his knees wobbled, and he fell.

In a recent interview, Bratcher recalled, "I went to the front door, opened it, and shot two of his tires out. The gunman was on the other side of the car, and I couldn't see him. I didn't know if he was hit or if he was hiding and waiting to shoot me:'

Bratcher's first shot went through both front tires, which went flat with a thump. His second shot hit the rim one inch above the left rear tire. Bratcher quickly moved back inside the bank and called 9-1-1. The first police car arrived within a minute.

Police identified the gunman as Robert Hazelwood. Bratcher's shot had hit him in the chest, killing him within seconds. Bratcher recalled, "The robber had put one bullet in his gun, but had more in his pocket. He'd watched me go into the bank, and I think if there had been more than one person in the bank, he would have put in more bullets. He had a bag on the seat and I think he wanted to kill me, then go get the bag, fill it with money, then leave before anyone else came:'

Police ruled that the shooting was justified.

Almost 50 years earlier, another Clyde Bratcher had foiled a bank robbery attempt. On the afternoon of January 6, 1958, the 70-year-old bank president was getting ready to close the Bank of Clarkson. Three men walked in and handed the elderly Bratcher a note demanding money. Bratcher reached into a drawer, pulled out his gun, also a .45-caliber semiautomatic, and fired. The robber who had passed the note fell to the floor, and began to crawl frantically toward the door.

Bratcher fired twice more, and one of the robbers returned fire before fleeing. None of the robbers were hit but, in their panic, they left an easy trail for police to follow. They were quickly caught, and sentenced to jail terms.

An investigation revealed that Bratcher's gun had misfired all three times. The robber's bullet had struck a wood counter in front of Bratcher. This particular bank president just so happened to be the grandfather of Clyde Bratcher.