Customer killed in Captain's Quarters Hotel armed robbery, police say
CBC News | Posted: October 4, 2015 10:28 AM | Last Updated: October 4, 2015
'When you hold someone up at gunpoint, it's no joke,' says business owner
The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary says a man was fatally shot Saturday night in St. John's while attempting to intervene during an armed robbery at the Captain's Quarters Hotel.
CBC News has learned Larry Wellman died en route to hospital.
At 11:55 p.m. NT, RNC teams and a K-9 unit responded to the business on Kings Bridge Road where a lone suspect, armed with a firearm, had entered the bar area of the hotel and demanded cash.
Police said a customer at the bar — Wellman — attempted to intervene during the robbery and was shot by the suspect.
The area remained taped off and police were still on the scene through Sunday.
Owner Marcel Etheridge told CBC News he got a call from the bartender Saturday night, informing him she had just been robbed and was hiding in the basement.
"He had a large gun and she gave him the cash, but apparently he didn't seem to be satisfied with the amount and was pushing her more aggressively," said Etheridge.
The owner said the man entered the bar wearing a mask and a hoodie, and was armed with a shotgun.
Stop saying we don't have crime — we have lots of crime here and it's severe crime now. - Marcel Etheridge, owner of the Captain's Quarters Hotel
"That's when the other, one of the customers — I don't know if he was a regular but he visited our place quite a few times — stepped in and unfortunately for him, the guy shot him."
The RNC previously reported that Wellman received serious injuries and was transported to hospital.
Etheridge said he spoke with his employee Sunday afternoon, and she appears to be "traumatized" by the ordeal.
He said this isn't the first robbery at his business, which is in a relatively quiet neighbourhood, but he added there's been a trend of more serious crime in recent years.
According to police, the suspect has not yet been found.
"We've got to do something about it. Stop saying we don't have crime — we have lots of crime here and it's severe crime now," said Etheridge.
"When you hold someone up at gunpoint, it's no joke. We need to do something about this crap."
Police said Sunday evening that RNC and Rovers Ground Search and Rescue are continuing an "extensive search" of the area surrounding the hotel.
A major case management team has been brought in and police are deploying "extensive resources to locate the individual responsible."
Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to contact the RNC or Crime Stoppers.