Tulsa Police Officer Shoots Robbery Suspect, Nearby Families Huddle For Safety

A robbery suspect is in a Tulsa hospital after being shot by police Thursday evening.

The officer entered the payday loan store in midtown as the robbery was in progress and shot the man inside the store after she said she saw him reach for a gun. She said the man then ran outside where he eventually surrendered.

Several families huddled with their children at the Tulsa County Child Welfare Resource Center next door as the robbery went down. They locked the doors to the center when they saw police.

"It was complete and total chaos outside. It was really, really, scary," said Tulsa County Child Welfare Resource Coordinator, Maura Browne.

Browne was relieved no one inside her office was hurt during the armed robbery.

11/13/2014 Related Story: Tulsa Police Officer Shoots Armed Robbery Suspect

Sources said the man emptied the till and demanded employees open the safe. They told him it was a ten minute delay and the man said he would wait. One of the employees then tripped the silent alarm.

Tulsa Police responded to the silent alarm at the Check 'n Go near 51st and Harvard where an officer said she found a man standing in the store going for his gun.

"The individual went to the waistband, what appeared to be a weapon, turned out to be, looks like it's going to be a pellet gun. The officer at that time used deadly force, struck the individual," said Tulsa Police Officer Leland Ashley.

Witnesses saw the police officer chase the wounded robber through the parking lot, then saw the robber fall to the ground in front of a seafood restaurant.

"Shopping for kids clothes, next thing you know you're behind crime scene tape," witness Ricky Shields said.

Shields was next door when the robbery occurred.

"Someone right after that in the E-cigarettes, she stuck her head out and told us, 'lock the door,' so that's what we did," he said.

Browne had no idea what was happening until she came to the front of the office.

"I came in the backdoor, she had the front door locked, she told me what had happened and in addition to that there were probably five or six foster parents in there with children who were not able to leave because of what was going on outside," she said.

Police said the robber was only shot once by the officer and was taken to St. Francis in serious condition. Reports say the man was shot in his shoulder and the bullet went through his neck and out of his ear.

Police said the man is a suspect in four or five other robberies.

The officer who shot the suspect is okay.

As routine procedure, the officer is on leave pending the results of the investigation.