Wichita, Kansas

From the Wichita Eagle of August 25, 2007

Police: Clerk shoots, kills would-be robber

A man in his 40s died today after he was shot by an employee while he was trying to rob a Wichita pharmacy, police said.

The man walked into Salyer Pharmacy at 102 E. 21st St. about 10:45 a.m. Saturday. He had a handkerchief over his face and a gun in his hand, Wichita Police Lt. Sam Hanley said.

He demanded money from at least two clerks, Hanley said, and "at some point, they produced their own weapon" and shot the man. The man died about 20 minutes later at Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus, Hanley said.

From Wichita’s KAKE.com of August 27, 2007

Dead Robber Identified in Self-Defense Case

Police have identified the armed robber who was shot and killed by a store employee Saturday morning.

Officers say 27-year-old Alexander Mies entered Salyer's Pharmacy at 10:47am with a bandage over part of his face, exposing just one eye. He asked to pick up a prescription under an alias name. Mies then pulled out a handgun and pointed at the clerk.

At that point, a 58-year-old employee shot Mies once in head with a shotgun.

No customers were inside at the time - just three employees. A delivery worker arrived in the middle of the holdup.

Mies pronounced dead at 11:15 am. Police say the shooting appears to be a simple case of self-defense.

From Kansas.com of August 28, 2007

WOULD-BE ROBBER KILLED

When the man pulled out a handgun in Salyer Pharmacy and demanded drugs Saturday, pharmacist Tom Lundberg bolted for a back room.

He didn't go there to hide.

He went to grab his shotgun.

"I didn't know what was going to happen," Lundberg said Monday.

When the intruder pointed his gun at Lundberg and his pharmacy co-owner, Lundberg didn't hesitate.

He fired the shotgun once, hitting the man in the head and killing him. Police identified the man Monday as Alexander R. Mies, 27.

Here's what police and Lundberg say happened:

About 10:45 a.m. Saturday, a man walked into Salyer's, 102 E. 21st St., with a bandage wrapped around his head, leaving one eye exposed.

He approached the counter and told an employee he was there to pick up a prescription, but he used an alias, police said.

At that point, the man pulled out his gun while yelling and demanding Lortabs and narcotics, Lundberg said.

That's when Lundberg ran to grab a shotgun he has kept at the pharmacy since a 1993 robbery attempt.

When Lundberg came out of the back room, he saw the intruder pointing the handgun at co-owner Fred Karban, Lundberg said.

At one point, the man ducked behind the counter and Lundberg thought he was going to leave.

"Then, he came right back up and pointed it at Fred," Lundberg said.

"And then, he pointed it back at me, and then I shot him. That's pretty much the end of it."

Lundberg, 58, has been a pharmacist in Wichita for 35 years, the past 20 at Salyer's.

After the police interviews, he finished out his work day, including delivering medicine to nursing homes. He was back at work Monday at the pharmacy.

Wichita police said they could present information about the case to the Sedgwick County district attorney's office today for review.

Lundberg said he doesn't expect the office to find he did anything wrong. He said that a police detective told him: "Obviously, if it was a problem, I wouldn't be talking with you here," at the pharmacy.

He said he had received several calls of support, and some customers who hadn't seen him in a while stopped by.

"It's kind of a sad deal," he said.

"I feel kind of sorry more for his family. I just wish he hadn't put me in that situation, is what I wish."

From Wichita’s KAKE.com of September 12, 2007

Pharmacist Cleared in Self-Defense Shooting

A pharmacist who shot and killed a robber last month has been cleared of any wrongdoing.

On Wednesday morning, District Attorney Nola Foulston's office released a report detailing what happened.
…

Investigators say Alexander Mies pulled a gun on a worker at Salyer Pharmacy at 21st and Broadway on Saturday, August 25. Mies entered the store with a bandage over part of his face, exposing just one eye. He asked to pick up a prescription under an alias name. Mies then pulled out a handgun and pointed at a pharmacist.

Another pharmacist, Tom Lundberg, reached for a shotgun behind the counter. Police say he ordered Mies to drop the gun, but when Mies didn't, Lundberg fired once, hitting the robber in the head.

No customers were inside at the time - just three employees. A delivery worker arrived in the middle of the holdup.

Investigators ruled the shooting as a simple case of self-defense.