Dairy Queen employee shoots, kills sword-wielding robber, police say

Shooting at eatery

An employee at a southeastern valley Dairy Queen today shot a sword-wielding robber, who later died, police said.

The man, who was shot twice, was pronounced dead at Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center, police said.

The attempted robbery occurred about 12:17 p.m. at the Dairy Queen at 2595 S. Maryland Parkway south of East Sahara Avenue, said Lt. Leslie Lane, a Metro watch commander. A masked man entered the empty store carrying a samurai-style sword that was about 3 feet long, Lane said.

Kimberly Phillips-Atkinson, who works in the area, said that when she came out of her store after the shooting, she saw two young men who work at the Dairy Queen sitting on the curb crying.

"If that guy thought he could get away with this ..." she said. "Now he's dead. It's very sad."

Police sealed off four rows of parking spaces outside the restaurant while they investigated.

A silver Toyota Camry inside that perimeter was marked with bright-orange evidence tape. A missing rear window was covered with red paper. A tow truck hauled away the car at 3:40 p.m.

The Dairy Queen is between a Hawaiian barbecue restaurant and an optometry store in a shopping center anchored by an Albertsons supermarket.

"A basic human right is self-defense," said Michael Murray, who was walking out of Albertsons a few hours after the shooting.

Murray said he is a firearms instructor who lives about a mile north of the Dairy Queen. He pulled aside his tackle vest to reveal a holstered handgun.

The incident is under investigation by Metro’s robbery detail. Lane said he didn't think the employee would face charges.