Opinion ID: 2997558
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Witnesses of the Tavern Robbery

Text: Thomas Fitzpatrick testified about the April 5 robbery which took place at his tavern about one mile from Twin Foods. At approximately 1:30 A.M., he was standing at the cash register of his tavern when a man entered waving a gun. The man said “this is a stickup” and jumped over the bar. Fitzpatrick tried to run away from the man and was shot in the back. He stated that he crawled to a hallway and lay on the floor face up. The assailant approached and stood over Fitzpatrick and demanded to know where the rest of the money was located. When Fitzpatrick said there was no more money, the robber left the store. Fitzpatrick testified that there was a fluorescent light right above him as he spoke to the robber and that “you could see very well.” He also claimed that he was fully conscious during the encounter, even though he had been shot. In May 1982, Fitzpatrick tentatively identified Richardson as the gunman after viewing both black and white and color photographs. He viewed a lineup on October 5, 1982, and again identified Richardson as the man who shot him. At trial, he testified, “I’m just positive when I identified him in the lineup that that was the man that came after me and shot me.” He further testified, “When I saw Floyd Richardson in the lineup, I knew it was him, positively. There was no doubt in my mind.” Fitzpatrick also identified Richardson in court. No. 04-1513 5 Ray Slagle was a patron in Fitzpatrick’s tavern on the night of the robbery. When he heard shots, he stepped behind a partition and “watched everything that happened” from a distance of about ten feet. He saw a man reaching into the cash register. Slagle looked around the partition three or four times to observe the robber’s actions. Slagle threw a chair at the robber as he ran toward the exit. Like Fitzpatrick, Slagle testified that the tavern was well lit. Slagle also testified that he picked Richardson’s photograph out of a police photo array and later identified him in a lineup. He identified Richardson as the robber at trial.