Evening star., 1934-02-26
BURGLAR KILLED
BY DETECTIVES AS
He DRAWS WEAPON
Officers Open Fire ON For.
mer Albanian in F Street
Drug Store.
MAINTAINED ALL.NIGHT
VIGIL IN ESTABLISHMENT
Slain Robber Was Armed With
.3S-Caliber Revolver and
Extra Ammunition.


today while attempting to burglarize
an F street drug store, which had
been under police guard since visit
by two suspicious characters" Sat
urday.
The burglar. armed with fully
loaded 38-caliber revolver and carry
ing five extra cartridges in his pocket,
fell dead before fusiiladc Of shots
fired by Detective Sergt. Michael
Dowd and Precinct Detective Miller
x. Reading, who had maintained an
all-night vigil in the store.
Under Technical Arrest"
Both Dowd and Reading were
placed under technical arrest by
Inspector Frank S. w. Burke, chief
of detectives, pending action of
Coroner A. Magruder Macdonald.
They we're permitted to go to their
homes, however, to await the coroner S
inquest, which probably will be held
tomorrow.
A Peoples Drug Store at 1928 F
street was the scene of the shooting,
which occurred about am.
The detectives, on guard in the
prescription laboratory on the second
floor, prepared for action when they
heard a noise on rear fire escape.
A few moments later, the figure of
a man appeared on the flre-escape
landing in front CT a lavatory
window
With drawn guns, the detectives
stood in the shadows and waited.
The man on the fire escape drew a
pinch-bar from his pocket and went
to work on the window, which was
locked and barred.
The mans skill was great, accord
ing to the detectives. In almost no
time at all, they said, he had the
window open and stepped inside.
Burglar Drew Gun.
The detectives waited until the
burglar had tiptoed to the head OF a
flight OF steps, about IA feet from
the window. The stairs led to the
store below.
stop right where you are and put
your hands up" Dowd ordered, ss
he and Reading stepped from the
shadows. We're police"
The intruder's reply, according to
the detectives, was to draw his re-
volver. Their own guns came up with
simultaneous Jerks and reared into
action. DoWd let loose with four
shots and Reading fired one. The
stranger crumped and fell, and his
revolver and fashlight clattered to
the floor.
Pronounced dead by an Emergency
Hospital physician, the burglar was
taken TO the morgue, where his body
was identified a short time later BY
had been shot three times, twice in
tAt abdomen and 0lC9 In Inc [lglL
bullets, examination of the laboratory
disclosed, went through the floor and
struck a showcase in the store.
In one of the dead mans pockets
police found letter addressed tc
William P Neil, 1446 N street" Al
that address they found a man who
identified himself as John Samue
OBryant, %, a taxicab driver.
Taxicab Driver Quizzed.
Taken to police headquarters for
questioning, O'Bryant said he met
Neil about four months ago at dance
THE last I saw of him." he said
was about pm. yesterday when he
came to my apartment. He left with
out saying where he was going OF
when I would see him again. I gave
him permission to get his mail at my
place"
From Shoup, it was learned the
dead man had come here from
Atlanta several months ago. Until
last November 90 he said, Neil had
worked in the District Grocery Stores
warehouse, Four-and-ahalf and {
streets southwest. Since his discharge
however, Shoup did not know what he
had been doing.
Inspector Burke telegraphed the
chief of police of Atlanta in an effort
to establish communication with
Neils mother, who is said to be living
there. An attempt also was made to
communicate with friends of the dead
man there.
Pinch Bars in Pockets.
In Neils pockets, police found two
pinch bars, about S12 in bills, small
amount of change and two lucky
pocket pieces, in addition to the let
ter and the bullets. He was well
dressed.
The dead mans fingerprints, taken
at the morgue, were found to be on
file in the Division Of Investigation Of
the Department of Justice His rec
ord there showed, according to In
spector Burke, that he was arrested
in Baltimore last December 16 for
alleged violation of the Dyer act
which prohibits interstate transpor-
tation of stolen automobiles.
8 The drug store has been robbed
several times during the last year OF
so, one of the robberies occurring only
a few weeks ago. In one of the
earlier robberies, burglars cut their
way through the floor of an Srt
studio above the store and made of
with a quantity of prescription
liquor.
Officials of the store reported tht
visit of the suspicious characters
Saturday, and detectives were placed
on guard in the laboratory that night
and last night.
During last nights vigil, Dowd anc
Reading reported. they heard a noise
on an adjoining roof several hours
before Neil appeared at the window
Because the lower parts of his trousei
legs were frozen, they said, they be-
3lieve he attempted to break into the
store earlier, but was frightened away
officials of the store were expected
to 20 TO the morgue to view the
body. Meanwhile, O'Bryant was de-
tanned at headquarters for further
questioning,
L