A German shepherd named Noah in Atlanta was killed giving his life for his family when he jumped in front of a gunman's bullets, chasing after the assailant before being overtaken by his injuries, Life With Dogs reported on Monday.

"They were fired upon and their family was terrorized," Atlanta police Sgt. Gregory Lyon said.  "They survived that only to find that their pet is now gone. It's sad for the whole family, especially the day after Thanksgiving." 

What started as a road rage incident Friday night ended with the shooter following the woman in her SUV through the parking lot of a strip mall.

"About five minutes later, they pulled out a gun and started clapping [shooting]," an unnamed witness said.  "They had hit the back of his car. The dog had jumped in front of the bullet I guess to save one of the children or the wife."

Other witnesses to the dog's act of heroism noted that he took a bullet just so the kids would be safe after he jumped out of his owner's passenger side window and chased after the gunman.

The woman and children were not struck by bullets. No arrests have been made yet in the case, CNN reported.