BEECH GROVE, Ind. — Drew Gardner, 17, won't be working his shift Saturday at the KFC on South Emerson Avenue — or any other for that matter.
Gardner said he was fired for speaking out about his act of heroism after an employee was shot while on the job.
It was just Wednesday night when Gardner was all smiles after potentially saving his co-worker's life.
Now, he's sitting on his couch wondering why he no longer has a job.
"I was a bit bummed out because I consider most of those people there my friends, but I feel like, I don't know, it feels like a bit of like a betrayal in a sense," Gardner said.
It was at the KFC in Beech Grove where police say Gardner's colleague was shot in the head by a former employee Tuesday. And it wasn't until Thursday afternoon when Gardner's mom drove by the restaurant and saw that it had reopened.
"When I went in there, I did approach her to talk privately in the back to go over some things about what happened. She refused to go in the back. We had to do it in the lobby in front of customers. It did get heated between her and I, and questions were not answered," said Trisha Sears, Gardner's mom.
It was that exchange between her and the general manager that led Sears to call police.
"The officer, after speaking with me and hearing everything that's going on and hearing that I'm Drew's mom and the shooting that happened, he did go inside to retrieve the paperwork for Drew's workman's comp. He came out and he said, 'Unfortunately, she wanted me to communicate to you that your son is no longer needed here and this is considered trespassing for you,'" Sears recalled.
Although Gardner said he's disappointed that he was let go from his job, he believes he did the right thing.
"Like, I feel like a life is worth more than a job. So I'd rather lose my job than have him die," Gardner said.
Friday afternoon, a KFC spokesperson shared the following statement with 13News:
"The restaurant in question is operated by an independent franchisee, responsible for its own hiring and firing decisions, distinct from the KFC Corporation. According to the franchisee, this individual is employed at the restaurant and was not terminated.
The tragedy that took place at our Beech Grove franchisee restaurant has truly impacted each and every team member and we continue to fully cooperate with the authorities in their investigation."
On Friday, the Beech Grove restaurant was shut down once again, but for a different reason.
An employee at the KFC told 13News they have been shut down just 24 hours after reopening by the Marion County Health Department for sanitary issues.
They hope to reopen Monday.
Saturday evening, the franchise owner of the Emerson KFC, EYM Chicken of Indiana, released a statement indicating Gardner had not been fired from the restaurant.
"Our management team did not terminate Drew Gardner from our restaurant located on South Emerson Avenue in Indianapolis. Our priority remains supporting all of our team members impacted by this tragedy.”