By Matt Kawahara
mkawahara@sacbee.com
One of the suspects in an armed robbery where a pharmacy employee was killed likely has a "significant wound" to one of his fingers, a Sacramento County sheriff's spokesman said today.
Homicide investigators have determined that the suspect wounded in the exchange of gunfire was shot in the hand, said department spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran.
That suspect also has a distinctive scar and tattoo of a flame on the right side of his neck, Curran said.
He is described as a black male in his 40s between 5-foot-10 and 6-foot-2, weighing between 160 and 180 pounds. Surveillance footage from the Rexall pharmacy on Watt Avenue shows the suspect wearing a white shirt, blue jeans and a gray baseball cap.
The second suspect is described as a black male in his 20s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, and thin. He was wearing a black shirt and black jeans, and appears in security footage wearing a white baseball cap with dark writing on it.
Curran said that authorities also now believe both suspects fled the scene in a blue sedan with 20-inch chrome rims.
Anyone who may have seen a man matching the first suspect's description in an area hospital, or with a heavily bandaged hand, is urged to contact detectives.
Anyone with information is urged to call Sheriff's Homicide detectives at (916) 874-5115, or Crime Alert at (916) 443-HELP.
Tania Gurskiy, 27, was shot to death when a gunfight erupted in the Rexall pharmacy in the 5600 block of Watt Avenue 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.
Late Thursday, investigators released a surveillance video of the robbers. (See video and photos from the video below.)
Call The Bee's Matt Kawahara, (916) 321-1015.
Gallery: Officers investigate pharmacy shooting in North Highlands
See the surveillance video
Previous coverage:
Gunbattle at North Highlands pharmacy kills one - Sept. 3, 2010
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