A U.S. Army civilian employee is recovering in Germany after four invaders broke into his house and threatened his family on Sunday. The civilian, who has not yet been identified but is a former U.S. Air Force major, killed one of the attackers with a kitchen knife during the melee. According to Stars and Stripes, the civilian heard a knock outside of his Landstuhl, Germany home and answered the door. One of the attackers then pushed their way into the house and chased the man’s wife upstairs, where the couple’s three young children were getting ready for bed.

“She is screaming bloody murder, she’s screaming ‘my baby, my baby,’” said the unidentified former 0-4. The man was able to wrestle the remaining three attackers back outside and then grabbed a knife before running upstairs to rescue his wife. Once up the stairs, the American told Stars and Stripes the intruder had pinned his wife to the ground and was shouting “No talk!”

“We collided in the doorway, scuffled right there in the door and into the hall at the top of the stairs,” said the civilian. “I think I got three stabs on him.”

After stabbing the intruder and chasing him back outside, German police were called and arrived on the scene shortly before 8 p.m. During the investigation, German police discovered the body of the stabbed man, aged 43, in a nearby village, where the other attackers left him to die. The stabbed man’s older brother, who is also one of the assailants, was arrested as well. According to Fox News, both of the suspects are German citizens. Authorities are still searching for the other two suspects. Despite the Army civilian’s claims he acted in self-defense, German authorities are now investigating whether his actions were legal.

“I am being investigated, so charges are still an option,” the American said. If charged and convicted, the Army civilian may face a sentence of three years in a German prison. The decision of whether to proceed with criminal filings depends on the outcome of the German prosecutor’s office, which is currently working to determine if the American’s actions were reasonable.

Although the prosecutor’s office has yet to make a final decision, the American was told by German police that in their opinion, he is the victim. “All the uniformed officers were completely behind me. They were coming up and saying they would have done exactly what I did.”