Florida: Orange Blossom Trail pharmacist kills armed robber

Orlando, Florida

From the Orlando Sentinel of April 1, 2009

Orange Blossom Trail pharmacist kills armed robber

A pharmacist shot an armed robber dead Tuesday at a drugstore off South Orange Blossom Trail, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

It was at least the fourth time this year that a robber was killed at a Central Florida business and was the second drugstore holdup that ended in death.

The shooting happened about 5:15 p.m. at JR Pharmacy, 2160 Whispering Lakes Blvd.

The man came into the shop with a handgun and, after a brief confrontation, was shot to death, sheriff's spokesman Jim Solomons said. Investigators would not release names, where the body was found or what the man tried to steal.

The drugstore caters to the heavily Hispanic clientele in the neighborhood, customer Evette Luciano said.

"They're very honest people," she said of the owners.

"They go out of their way to help the customers," said her twin sister, Jeanette Luciano, who also lives nearby.

Evette Luciano said she spoke to one of the partner's wives and was told that the shooting happened in the front of the store while two owners were in the back. The worker who did the shooting formerly worked across the street at Walgreens, customers said.

Several customers said they thought three partners owned the store, including the man who shot the robber.

But corporate documents show only two names. Neither man was the shooter, Evette Luciano said. Reached at home, Joshua Adedoyin and Rojer Tewari would not comment. They are listed on documents as "managing members" of the business.

There was another armed robbery at JR Pharmacy in April 2007, Solomons said. There are no laws preventing people from defending themselves with guns at home or at work.

"The Legislature has empowered people to protect themselves," said sheriff's Cmdr. Paul "Spike" Hopkins. "People are tired of being victims."

There have been 25 calls to law enforcement from JR Pharmacy since 2003, but most were routine, Solomons said. Details were not immediately available, and it's not clear when the shop opened.

On Feb. 7, a security guard shot and killed an armed robber at The Medicine Shoppe in New Smyrna Beach. Investigators said the guard, a retired law-enforcement officer, was justified. The robber had pointed a gun at a pharmacist and demanded oxycodone pills.

In January, a customer at a carwash on South Orange Blossom Trail shot a suspected robber dead. The same week, a customer shot to death a man who police said was trying to rob a Kangaroo Express in Ocoee.