PINCH, W.Va. — Investigators with the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Department say a pharmacist who shot a man who later died will not be charged with a crime.
Detectives said surveillance video at Good’s Family Pharmacy in Pinch shows the masked man, Terry Gillenwater, 25, pulled out a gun after he entered the pharmacy at about 9:45 Wednesday morning and pointed it at workers. The pharmacist, who has a legal conceal carry permit, pulled out his gun and shot the man, who later died at a Charleston hospital.
“The guy was walking around with a mask on and my pharmacist joked, ‘He must be here to rob us,'” owner Patrick Good told MetroNews. “Whenever he said that the guy pulled a gun.”
Good said Gillenwater was probably after prescription pills, but couldn’t confirm that because he didn’t have time to state his demands.
“The guy pulled the gun and jumped in front of a customer in line and was pointing the gun at the employees,” said Good. “That’s when my guy pulled his gun and shot him three times.”
The pharmacist on duty had a .45 pistol. The first shot hit the robber in the chest and he went down, but he raised the gun again. The employee then fired a second and third shot. One of those hit the suspect’s gun in his hand and the other shot hit him in the abdomen.
Workers at the pharmacy attempted life-saving measures on the man. Nobody in the pharmacy was injured.
“He was here for the pills,” said Good. “We’re a real small, small store here.”
Good said he had no problem with his employees carrying firearms with a concealed carry permit while on the job.
The information from the investigation will be turned over to the Kanawha County Prosecutor’s Office.