Police Kill Man Holding Pharmacist Hostage at Knifepoint

A police officer recently shot and killed a male suspect holding a knife to a Walgreens pharmacist’s throat.

Around 2:30 AM on August 22, 2016, police responded to 911 calls about a man jumping over the pharmacy counter in a Walgreens store in Hamilton, Ohio. A caller told to a dispatcher that he wasn’t sure what was happening and he couldn’t tell if the man was armed, but “it look[ed] a little suspect,” the Associated Press reported.

The 2 officers who arrived at the scene found the suspect holding the pharmacist hostage at knifepoint, Hamilton Police Chief Craig Bucheit related at a news conference about the incident. The man was using the knife to force the unidentified female pharmacist to take out money from the cash drawer, according to a police report.

^{Hamilton Police Chief Craig Bucheit (Associated Press)}

Bucheit said the man didn’t comply with police commands, and after a brief confrontation, one of the officers fatally shot him. The other officer at the scene did not fire any shots. They have both been placed on administrative leave under standard policy.

Bucheit said the pharmacist looked “shook up” but was not hurt, and neither were the 2 officers.

Police are still attempting to identify the suspect who is believed to be in his 20s. They are reviewing store surveillance video and looking for a connection between the suspect and other pharmacy robberies in the Cincinnati area.