Ashburn Baptist Church in Orland Park recognized Jason McDaniel for his alertness and courage.
On December 11, he walked into L.A. Tan and found a robbery in progress. McDaniel says he tried talking with the suspect and even offered him money.
Surveillance video shows that when that didn't diffuse the situation, McDaniel got the man's gun and fatally shot him.
"I was blessed," McDaniel said. "I was really blessed. I felt that, like, looking back and going through all the details of the story,I really felt I was sent there."
"When they told me the story, all I could say was, that's just my husband," said Shannon McDaniel.
The church says McDaniel's action saved the life of a tanning salon employee.
Investigators say the suspect, Gary Amaya, may be linked to a series of a shootings along the Illinois-Indiana state line.
