A Kenosha store owner fought back when two armed robbers walked into his shop Wednesday, shooting one of the men.

According to Kenosha police, the would-be robbers entered the Jewelry Exchange pawn shop, 2400 52nd St., at about 12:30 p.m., one of them pointing a handgun.

Sgt. Hugh Rafferty, spokesman for the department, said both men partially concealed their faces and had “pulled up their upper garments to hide their faces” when they walked into the store. They then confronted the owner.

Police said the 55-year-old store owner pulled out a handgun of his own from underneath a desk and shot one time at one of the men.

After the shooting, the empty-handed robbers ran from the store into a parking area behind the shop, then cut through an alley to the next block where the injured man collapsed in the 2400 block of 51st Street.

Witnesses told police they saw one man collapse, while the second man got into a green Dodge Ram van. The van had been parked in the 5100 block of 25th Avenue before it fled the scene.

A pair of gloves and a trail of blood in the alley led police to the injured robber.

According Rafferty, they found the man lying on the ground with a gunshot wound to his chest and a large pool of blood on the grass. A .44 Magnum revolver was also found on the ground next to him. Rafferty said the man was conscious but not able to communicate with police.

He was taken to Kenosha Medical Center where he was in stable condition, police said. The man was expected to undergo surgery Wednesday night and is under police guard.

Police have not named the man who was shot but described him as a 29-year-old black male who is on parole through the Illinois Department of Corrections for theft, auto theft and a drug offense. Police believe he is from Zion, Ill.

The second suspect, who remained at large, was also described as a black male in his 20s. At the time of the robbery, he was wearing shorts, a long sleeve black shirt, a baseball cap and was carrying a dark backpack. Police have no description of the driver of the van.

While police were inside the Jewelry Exchange collecting evidence, a friend of the store owner waited outside on the sidewalk.

“He saw them coming. They had masks and gloves on,” said the friend, who did not want to be identified.

He said the store owner was behind his counter and saw the men walking toward the store through the windows, and got the gun he keeps in the store for protection.

“They were pointing guns. If he didn’t shoot them, they probably would have killed him,” the friend said. “He was shaken up.”

Yolanda Kirby, who lives in an apartment above the shop, said she heard one or two gunshots. She said there have been problems in the neighborhood in the past.

“They are always trying to rob him,” she said.

But the store owner’s friend said the shop had not been robbed in the past.

“He’s never had a problem before,” he said.

According to police, the store owner, who was not injured, was cooperating in the investigation. No other employees or customers were inside the store during the incident, which was captured with an on-site surveillance video camera. The recording was not immediately being released, police said.

The store owner when contacted by a reporter said he was fine, but declined to discuss the incident.

Anyone with information on the second suspect and the driver of the getaway vehicle should call the police department at 605-5200. Those who wish to remain anonymous can also call Crime Stoppers at 656-7333 or 800-807-8477.

Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards of up to $1,000 to anyone whose information leads to the arrest of criminals, including those committing serious felony crimes, and fugitives.