Photo: Officers discuss how to approach a suspect wanted in connection with Thursday's fatal North Highlands pharmacy shootout. The suspect is cornered in a North Sacramento home near Bowles and Beaumont streets.
By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com
A suspect in a fatal pharmacy shooting surrendered peacefully to Sacramento police early this evening after holing up in a North Sacramento apartment earlier today.
The suspect, identified as Kelvin Peterson, (an earlier version of the story gave his first name as Kevin) came out after officers fired tear gas into the apartment at the corner of Beaumont and Bowles streets, said Sgt. Tim Curran, Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesman.
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Curran said Peterson will be booked into Sacramento County jail on suspicion of murder.
The standoff began after Sacramento police officers and Sacramento County sheriff's deputies, acting on a citizen's tip, cornered the suspect in the apartment.
The 42-year-old Peterson was alone in one unit of a four-unit single-story apartment complex, Curran said.
Earlier Curran said it was unclear if the suspect was armed, but he definitely was wounded, as evidenced by a bandaged hand.
One of the suspects in Thursday's fatal pharmacy holdup and shootout was wounded in the hand, Curran said. A female store employee at the Rexall pharmacy in the 5600 block of Watt Avenue was killed.
Curran earlier said investigators were "confident" that the suspect in the apartment was the robber who was armed.
Between 50 and 70 people were evacuated from the area, he said.
Around 12:45 p.m., a citizen reported to the Sheriff's Department that he recognized one of the holdup suspects from a surveillance video displayed in the media, Curran said. The citizen also said the man had a bandaged hand.
He gave the address for the suspect as the apartment complex on Bowles.
A woman who was in the apartment unit where the suspect is holed up, "left voluntarily," Curran said.
The suspect is from Los Angeles, Curran said.. The suspect's ties to Sacramento are unknown, Curran said.
The apartment complex is in the Sacramento Police Department's jurisdiction. Curran said the Sacramento SWAT members were deployed around the apartment.
Tania Gurskiy, 27, was shot to death when a gunfight erupted in the pharmacy around 12:30 p.m. Thursday, authorities said.
The two robbers entered the pharmacy and demanded drugs as one of them threatened employees with a gun, Curran said.
A male employee of the pharmacy then pulled out a gun and a shootout began, Curran said. Gurskiy was struck in the chest and a 37-year-old pregnant female employee was shot in the foot.
Gurskiy was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead a short time later. The employee with the foot wound was also taken to a local hospital.
Authorities have not determined who fired first or which gun fired the bullets that struck the two victims.
Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.
Previous coverage:
North Highlands Rexall clerk's worst fear came true during second robbery attempt - Sept. 4, 2010
Gunbattle at North Highlands pharmacy kills one - Sept. 3, 2010
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