It all unfolded around 4:30 a.m. on January 12 when Trooper Ed Andersson responded to a call that a man was firing a weapon at cars on a local highway, but when Anderson arrived at the scene, he suddenly became one of the culprit's victims.

A man police identified as 37-year-old Leonard Penuelas-Escobar allegedly shot Andersson in the right shoulder after the officer exited the car, leaving him partially paralyzed and unable to draw his weapon. It was a shot that should have missed him, but unfortunately didn't, leaving the cop in a vulnerable situation.

"A half inch to my right it would have missed me," Andersson told CNN. "A few inches to my left, it would have hit my vest."

Andersson said the man, who was out of bullets, began to savagely beat him, slamming the cop's head into the ground. While the situation looked bleak, another guy named Thomas Yoxall, 43, suddenly arrived on the scene—and changed everything.

As Yoxall drove up, he quickly realized that what he thought was a routine traffic stop was something else entirely, CNN reported.

A former felon who was charged with theft in 2000 and later changed his life around and found God, grabbed his firearm, got out of his car and took action.

"He's beating him in a savage way. Just fist after fist," Yoxall recalled of the scene. "I yell out to the suspect to stop, I said ‘get off him!' His facial expression, the look in his eye (was) ‘evil' if I had to put a word on it."

Realizing the dire nature of the situation, Yoxall  told Penuelas-Escobar to stop and, when he didn't, he fired two shots, killing Penuelas-Escobar and saving Andersson's life.

The cop, who is eternally grateful, has said he's not sure he would be here still if not for the heroic and kind act. As for Yoxall, he believes his presence at the scene was divine in nature.

"God chose to put me in that place at that particular moment," Yoxall told CNN.  "I just can't see an evil like that perpetuated without intervening."

Yoxall did tell reporters back in January that he struggled with taking a life and that he sought advice from his pastor afterward, but that he would do the same thing again if he had to, the Arizona Republic reported.

"I did save somebody's life that morning, but I had to take somebody else's life in the process and that's difficult to reconcile," he said.

In the end, though, Yoxall said he's thankful he was able to help.

"I'm just thankful that I was able to respond, (in a way) that ultimately saved Trooper Andersson's life," he said. "I feel that it's a right and a privilege to be a private gun owner, and with that right and privilege comes a great responsibility."

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

'Get Him!': Watch as Brave Man Rescues Portion of American Flag Being Burned by 'Pro-Hamas Agitators' [Video]

A Growing Global Movement of Parents Is Keeping Their Kids Free from Smartphones

Democrat Downplays That Bill Would Cost Trump His Secret Service Detail

Teacher's Union Accused of Laundering $1.5 Million to Bankroll Dem Governor Josh Shapiro's Campaign

Dan Bongino: 9 Reasons to Vote for Kamala Harris

New Comms Director for Kamala Harris Campaign Wants to Pack the Supreme Court and Defund the Police

Pro-Life Protester Sentenced to More Than 3 Years Behind Bars for Blocking Abortion Clinic

Ben Carson Gives Perfect Defense of Pro-Life Position and Much More, in Powerful Tucker Carlson Interview [Watch]

Pastor Faced Death Threats, Had to Go into Hiding after Revealing Political Beliefs: 'I Reject the Victimhood Mentality'

'Hey Mom, I'm Trans!': The Truth About the Gender Dysphoria Deception, from a Mom in the Middle of It

These Important Election Integrity Initiatives Might Be on Your 2024 Ballot

Harris Campaign Admits to Misleading Voters on Trump, Project 2025

Pro-Harris Media Scrambles to Erase 'Border Czar' from Her Resume as GOP Highlights Her Record

House Republicans Raise American Flags at Union Station in DC after Chaotic Protesting Hamas Supporters Took Down and Burned Flags

Netanyahu Hails Israeli-US Bond, Reminds Protesters Israel the 'Land of the Bible' for 4,000 Years

'Influencing the Culture': Megachurch Equipping Churches to Mobilize Voters Ahead of November Election

Pray: Elderly Trump Supporter Run Over in Front Yard

Elon Musk Says AI Must Be 'Pro-Human,' Is Alarmed by Technological Developments

The Man and the Motive: Behind Musk's War on the 'Woke Mind Virus,' and Why He Fights for Children

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith Promises Bill Protecting Rights to Refuse Vaccines Is Coming