Keith Lavery heard gunfire and people screaming Sunday morning outside his home, and slipped into police mode, even though he hasn't been a police officer for three years.

Lavery, who left the Copley Township Police Department in 2008, grabbed his handgun, told his son to stay on the floor, and left his Copley Township home. He credits his police training for taking quick action.

"It just comes down to part of my DNA," Lavery told WKYC. "It's ingrained in you. There's a switch that gets turned. When you hear people screaming and gunfire and all hell's breaking loose, that switch gets activated. A lot of times you just react the way you were trained."

After Lavery left his house, he joined with a Copley Township PD officer who he described as a "battle buddy." He was asked if he feels like a hero. "I don't feel like a hero," he said. "I feel like what I did was necessary to do, and I would do it again."

Listen to Lavery's full interview at WKYC.

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