Police initially responded to a 911 call about the suspect going over the pharmacy counter at Walgreens, 1090 High St. at about 2:30 a.m., according to Bucheit.
“When they entered the pharmacy, they discovered a lone, armed suspect holding the pharmacist hostage with a knife to her throat,” he said.
He described the pharmacy as a “confined and close-quartered area.”
The suspect did not comply with police demands and was killed, he said.
The pharmacist was not physically injured, according to Bucheit.
“As you can imagine, a very traumatic experience for her and the officers as well,” Bucheit said, adding that neither of the officers were physically harmed.
The suspect has not yet been identified. He is believed to be a male black in his 20s, according to Bucheit.
The incident will be presented to a Butler County grand jury for review, according to county Prosecutor Michael Gmoser.
“It was a very brief confrontation,” Bucheit said, but he declined to say whether the suspect said anything to officers.
“That’s what the investigation is going to determine,” he said. “Exactly what took place.”
Both police officers who responded to the scene are on leave, per department policy, according to Bucheit.
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