Advertising

The Seattle Times Company

NWjobs | NWautos | NWhomes | NWsource | Free Classifieds | seattletimes.com

The Seattle Times

Local News


Our network sites seattletimes.com | Advanced

Originally published June 2, 2009 at 2:38 PM | Page modified June 2, 2009 at 7:33 PM

Comments (73)     E-mail E-mail article      Print Print view      Share Share

Guard killed in robbery at Lakewood Wal-Mart

A single bullet killed an armored-car guard and wounded a bystander during a robbery this afternoon at a Wal-Mart store in Lakewood, Pierce County.

LAKEWOOD — A single bullet killed an armored-car guard and wounded a bystander during a robbery this afternoon at a Wal-Mart store in this south Tacoma suburb, authorities said.

Police were looking for two men thought to be in their 20s who grabbed a money bag from the guard and drove off after the shooting at about 1:30 p.m.

Killed was Kurt Husted, 39, a 16-year veteran of Houston-based Loomis armored cars, company spokesman Pat Flaherty said.

The guard was shot outside a branch of Anchor Bank located inside the Wal-Mart, Lakewood Police Lt. Heidi Hoffman said.

"As he was coming out of the bank, he was shot in the head," she said. The guard had been wearing a bulletproof vest, Flaherty said. He said Husted was not married.

The single shot also injured a male customer who was hit in the shoulder while holding a child, Hoffman said. The child was uninjured and the man's injury was not life-threatening, she said. The customer, who was not identified, was taken to Tacoma General Hospital.

There was money in the bag the robbers grabbed but Hoffman declined to discuss how much it contained.

The men fled in a stolen car later found abandoned in Tacoma.

One of the robbers was described as about 6 feet tall, of average build and wearing a white hat with colored trim, a long-sleeved white shirt and black pants. The second was described as 6-foot-2, wearing a blue baseball hat, bluejeans and a blue short-sleeved shirt over a white T-shirt. Both men are African American.

The manhunt continued into the evening, with the FBI among "seven or eight different agencies working with us," Hoffman said. "We're getting tips and following those up."

FBI spokeswoman Robbie Burroughs confirmed her agency was involved.

"About two minutes after I walked in I heard the gun go off," store customer Patti O'Callahan, of nearby University Place, told The News Tribune of Tacoma. "Everybody was screaming and running all over the store. They were trying to find crevices to hide in."

advertising

She told the newspaper that store employees quickly opened the building's emergency back exits and evacuated the customers.

Another witness, Lisa Potter Maul, of University Place, said she saw a man she believes was one of the guards lying on his stomach with a pool of blood around his head.

"There was a lot of people trying to get out," Maul said. "Most were getting out the other doors. I was just freaked. I thought it was something fake."

Nearby Mount Tahoma High School was briefly locked down as a precaution.

Information from The News Tribune of Tacoma was included in this report.

Copyright © 2009 The Seattle Times Company

More Local News headlines...

E-mail E-mail article      Print Print view      Share Share

Comments (73)
As someone who's normally a staunch civil-rights-defending liberal, I gotta say, this is why I was so annoyed with those who were up in arms...  Posted on June 2, 2009 at 3:22 PM by lopes. Jump to comment
Another idiot with a gun and no brain. I'm so sorry the Loomis employee was killed. You go to work, it's just another day, and some...  Posted on June 2, 2009 at 3:59 PM by ms seattle. Jump to comment
Whats really stupid about this whole thing is that CNN has more of the story then the Seattle Times. They even have the guards name, the fact that...  Posted on June 2, 2009 at 4:20 PM by The Critic. Jump to comment


Get home delivery today!

More Local News

NEW - 01:28 AM
Bombs, guns found at home of suspect in Officer Brenton's slaying

NEW - 12:13 AM
How an underdog named Mike McGinn took City Hall

Danny Westneat: Lee the Horse Logger found slow wagon shrank tumor

Parents want answers on new Seattle school boundaries

3 Cascade Mountain passes close due to snow; more rain, wind expected Sunday

Advertising

Video

Mourners gather at KeyArena for slain officer's memorial
Mourners gathered at KeyArena for the memorial service of Seattle police Officer Timothy Brenton on November 6, 2009.

Procession for slain SPD officer
Election Night: Approve R-71
Election Night: Reject R-71
Election Night: Joe Mallahan
Election Night: Mike McGinn
Election Night: Susan Hutchison
Election Night: Dow Constatine
Candlelight vigil for Officer Brenton
Flying Elephant on Aurora

Marketplace

nwautos

2009's most fuel-efficient sedansnew
Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment

Open Houses

Find this weekend's open house listings.
Or search by location:

 
Most read
Most commented
Most e-mailed
 
 
Advertising