Police were searching for a robber who opened fire inside a South Fayette gun shop Wednesday morning, wounding an employee who was himself armed but did not have a chance to shoot back. The worker, 64-year-old John Lukachak, was in good condition at Allegheny General Hospital Wednesday night, recovering from injuries to his left hand and upper shoulder. The gunman fired a single bullet that police said lodged in a large muscle in Mr. Lukachak's back.
The robber, described as white and in his 50s, entered Federal Firearms Co. on Thoms Run Road at 10:05 a.m., just after the shop opened. Police said he was armed with a gun that had a large-capacity magazine, possibly a machine pistol, and took a weapon from the store. Mr. Lukachak reached for his gun but did not return fire.
Owner Bruce Taucher was still taking an inventory of his items to determine exactly what was missing, South Fayette police Chief Louis Volle said. Mr. Taucher declined to comment through the chief, and no one answered phone calls to the store, which police said will likely be closed for several days.
"He's pretty upset," Chief Volle said. "It was his buddy who was working."
The shooting touched off a manhunt, put several nearby schools on lockdown and drew at least nine police agencies to the scene. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also investigating. But police had made no arrests as of Wednesday night and were searching for a tan Ford F-150 pickup truck in which the man might have fled. Police earlier in the day were told to be on the lookout for an 1988 Oldsmobile Delta 88.
Neighbors in homes around the store said they heard nothing and have not known it to be a trouble spot. They watched as police searched the area, shutting down Thoms Run Road between Rooster's Roadhouse and Bridge Street.
Chief Volle described the suspect as 5-feet-6 to 5-feet-7, 150 to 160 pounds, with gray hair and a goatee. He was wearing a soft, green, Army-style field cap.
He urged anyone with information to call Allegheny County Police at 412-473-1200.
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