Off-duty DC firefighter was shot and dialed 911. After minutes with no response, he took matters into his own hands

Gary “Zeek” Dziekan speaks to CNN affiliate WUSA. WUSA

Under dim Capitol Hill streetlights on September 20, Gary Dziekan headed down 8th Street Northeast dressed in lederhosen, walking home from the Oktoberfest party he co-hosted five blocks away. Dziekan, who goes by “Zeek,” crossed at the intersection with C Street, zeroing in on the short iron gate separating a colorful row of two-story homes from the quiet Washington, DC, street.

Just steps from the skinny green rowhouse where his wife and two young sons slept, footsteps quickened in the crosswalk behind Zeek, pounding the asphalt.

Zeek, an off-duty DC firefighter, turned to find a masked man aiming a gun at him. The man tried to rob him, causing a scuffle that ended with Zeek shot, lying on the ground, dialing 911. Zeek waited fo