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http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/168060
Pharmacy owner accidentally shot self Police are investigating whether Corey Ramsey was armed as he tried to rob Sanco drug before being killed by the store's owner. [font="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"] By Amanda Codispoti
[/font] 981-3334
The drugstore owner who police said shot and killed a man trying to rob the store Tuesday was not shot by the intruder but instead accidentally shot himself during the incident, Roanoke police said Wednesday.
Police are still investigating whether Corey S. Ramsey, 22, was armed when he tried to rob Sanco Drug in the 1200 block of Riverland Road Southeast, police spokeswoman Aisha Johnson said. He died at the scene shortly after the shooting.
Police said Robert Kennedy, the store's owner and chief pharmacist, brandished a gun after Ramsey walked in and tried to rob the store.
The two men struggled, Johnson said. Kennedy accidentally shot himself and then shot Ramsey, Johnson said.
Police are still investigating whether Kennedy, 61, of Hardy shot himself before or during the struggle. He was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released later Tuesday.
Kennedy declined to be interviewed Tuesday night and did not return a phone call Wednesday. He has owned the drugstore near the intersection of Garden City Boulevard since 1974.
No charges have been filed. Police will present their investigation to Roanoke Commonwealth's Attorney Donald Caldwell, who will determine whether Kennedy will face charges.
Regardless of what evidence police find, Caldwell said Wednesday that it could be weeks before he makes a decision because he will likely wait for the toxicology results from Ramsey's autopsy.
Ramsey's father, Sam Hiner, said Wednesday that he did not know whether his son was armed, and that police have not talked with him in detail about Ramsey's death.
He said his son had been addicted to pain pills for eight years. Ramsey would go to the emergency room, a physician or the dentist to get prescriptions, Hiner said. He got help for his problem earlier this year while serving a three-month prison sentence for petit larceny, Hiner said.
Ramsey had been living in Bath County, where he worked with Hiner as a carpenter. He had been in Roanoke because his girlfriend was there getting medical treatment, Hiner said.
Caldwell said there have been shootings in Roanoke that did not result in charges because they were justified as self-defense, though he couldn't recall a recent example.
To prove self-defense, an accused person has to have had reasonable cause to believe he or she was in grave danger, said Anne Coughlin, a criminal law professor at the University of Virginia.
And, in Virginia, case law supports the use of deadly force to defend against a robbery, she said.
"The shopkeeper clearly had rights to repel this person. The question is, did he take it too far?" she said.
The prosecutor will look at a variety of factors, including whether the suspect was armed and used threatening language or made threatening gestures.
Coughlin said previous robberies or attempted robberies at the store likely will be a factor.
Sanco Drug has been the target of attempted robberies at least four times in the past 10 years.
Staff writer Mike Allen and news researcher Belinda Harris contributed to this report.
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/168060
Pharmacy owner accidentally shot self Police are investigating whether Corey Ramsey was armed as he tried to rob Sanco drug before being killed by the store's owner. [font="Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular"] By Amanda Codispoti
[/font] 981-3334
The drugstore owner who police said shot and killed a man trying to rob the store Tuesday was not shot by the intruder but instead accidentally shot himself during the incident, Roanoke police said Wednesday.
Police are still investigating whether Corey S. Ramsey, 22, was armed when he tried to rob Sanco Drug in the 1200 block of Riverland Road Southeast, police spokeswoman Aisha Johnson said. He died at the scene shortly after the shooting.
Police said Robert Kennedy, the store's owner and chief pharmacist, brandished a gun after Ramsey walked in and tried to rob the store.
The two men struggled, Johnson said. Kennedy accidentally shot himself and then shot Ramsey, Johnson said.
Police are still investigating whether Kennedy, 61, of Hardy shot himself before or during the struggle. He was taken to Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital, where he was treated and released later Tuesday.
Kennedy declined to be interviewed Tuesday night and did not return a phone call Wednesday. He has owned the drugstore near the intersection of Garden City Boulevard since 1974.
No charges have been filed. Police will present their investigation to Roanoke Commonwealth's Attorney Donald Caldwell, who will determine whether Kennedy will face charges.
Regardless of what evidence police find, Caldwell said Wednesday that it could be weeks before he makes a decision because he will likely wait for the toxicology results from Ramsey's autopsy.
Ramsey's father, Sam Hiner, said Wednesday that he did not know whether his son was armed, and that police have not talked with him in detail about Ramsey's death.
He said his son had been addicted to pain pills for eight years. Ramsey would go to the emergency room, a physician or the dentist to get prescriptions, Hiner said. He got help for his problem earlier this year while serving a three-month prison sentence for petit larceny, Hiner said.
Ramsey had been living in Bath County, where he worked with Hiner as a carpenter. He had been in Roanoke because his girlfriend was there getting medical treatment, Hiner said.
Caldwell said there have been shootings in Roanoke that did not result in charges because they were justified as self-defense, though he couldn't recall a recent example.
To prove self-defense, an accused person has to have had reasonable cause to believe he or she was in grave danger, said Anne Coughlin, a criminal law professor at the University of Virginia.
And, in Virginia, case law supports the use of deadly force to defend against a robbery, she said.
"The shopkeeper clearly had rights to repel this person. The question is, did he take it too far?" she said.
The prosecutor will look at a variety of factors, including whether the suspect was armed and used threatening language or made threatening gestures.
Coughlin said previous robberies or attempted robberies at the store likely will be a factor.
Sanco Drug has been the target of attempted robberies at least four times in the past 10 years.
Staff writer Mike Allen and news researcher Belinda Harris contributed to this report.