Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD—A gunman with a pillowcase over his head pointed a pistol at a clerk and then fled down an alley with $2,845 seconds before the police arrived at the Black Derby Liquor Store at 2311 Ripley Way on April 26th.
A man with a pillowcase over his head entered the store at 7:12 p.m. He pulled out a pistol and demanded that the clerk, Steve Bellinos age 28, empty the contents of the cash register into another pillowcase.
Bellinos, realizing what was happening, was able to trigger a silent alarm within minutes of the robber entering the store, police said.
Police Officers Anne Fulgham and Jose Lopez answered the alarm and arrived at the store at 7:19 p.m. as the gunman was exiting.
When the man saw the police car he started to run, police said, Officer Fulgham acted quickly, shouting a warning and firing a shot at the man. The shot missed, and the man ran down an alley, escaping.
A witness, John Reinicke, 35, was walking down Ripley Way when the incident occurred. “The officers did a great job,” he said. “The guy ran so fast he looked like a track star.”
The Police Internal Security Squad will make a routine investigation of the incident, according to Police Chief Antonio Grasso. Grasso said that such investigations are conducted each time an officer fires a service revolver.
The clerk described the robber as about 6 feet tall and weighing 155 pounds. He was wearing blue jeans and a dirty white T-shirt with a torn right sleeve. Those with any information about the suspect are asked to call the Springfield Police Department or local authorities.
Audio courtesy of Colin Hart
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