A DeKalb County auto parts store employee shot and killed a would-be thief Thursday night during a botched armed robbery attempt, police said.

DeKalb County police are still looking for a second would-be robber, who fled on foot after the shooting.

Just before 10 p.m., police responded to an armed robbery and person shot report at the Auto Zone at 1805 Memorial Drive in Atlanta.

"One of the employees saw two individuals in the parking lot changing clothes and putting on masks," DeKalb Police spokesman Marcus Hodge said.

The two men entered the store with weapons drawn, but the store employee began firing a gun of his own, police said.

"He struck one of the suspects," Hodge said. "The other guy ran away on foot."

The man who was killed dropped his weapon in outside the store.

Police weren't sure if the second suspect got into a vehicle to escape.

Several customers and other employees were in the store at the time of the incident, Hodge said.

This wasn't the first robbery attempt at the store, he said.

"There have been some cases where this store has been robbed," Hodge said. "That's probably the reason the employee had a gun."

Police are still investigating the incident, and hadn't charged the employee, Hodge said.