DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A man with a rifle jumped a Walgreens counter and demanded drugs before being shot by an officer Tuesday afternoon, Daytona Beach Police said.

  • Suspect in armed robbery shot by Daytona Beach Police officer
  • Police say man held up Walgreens, demanded narcotics
  • 10 other people inside store weren't hurt, police say

The officer-involved shooting happened at the Walgreens on Ridgewood Avenue and International Speedway Boulevard just before 1 p.m.

Police say the man, identified as Louis Curler, walked into the store armed with a rifle and two magazines and went straight for the pharmacy. There, he hopped onto a counter, pointed the weapon at the pharmacist, and demanded money and narcotics.

There were 10 people — six employees and four customers — inside the store at the time the man came in.

Martha Quinones, who was inside the store, heard someone scream and jumped into action trying to get people out quickly. 

"This elderly lady was right to the side, and she had a cane, and it dropped, and I said... just run next door," Quinones said. "So then everybody kept running behind us, and they said, 'What happened?' and I said, 'There is a guy with a shotgun in there; I need you to get out of the store."

When police arrived, they said they found Curler hunched over and appearing to inject something into his arm. When they approached him, they said he moved toward employees with the gun, which is when an officer opened fire, hitting Curler in the lower buttocks area. 

"From the crouched position he was in, he appeared that he was shooting up some type of narcotic when he was confronted by our officers," Deputy Chief Jakari Young said.

Curler was taken to the hospital and is expected to recover. No one else was hurt.

In an initial appearance before a judge Wednesday, Curler was denied bond. He's facing a charge of robbery with a firearm and two counts of kidnapping or holding an adult for ransom, both first-degree felonies.