Mailman shot trying to stop bank robbery suspect

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.indystar.com/article/2009070 ... ry+suspect" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A postal worker was shot in the face Thursday when he tried to stop an armed man fleeing the scene of a Southeastside bank robbery, police said.

Officers arrested the suspected robber a short time later when his sport utility vehicle crashed after a brief chase. Brook Abebe, 42, was held Thursday in a secure unit at Wishard Memorial Hospital.
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Police identified the wounded man as Robert Norman, 54, a letter carrier with 29 years of experience who is assigned to the Wanamaker Branch.

"He knew a robbery was taking place," said Lt. Jeffrey Duhamell, Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department spokesman. "He came around the corner as the robber came out of the bank."

Norman was in stable condition Thursday at Methodist Hospital. His family declined to comment.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family," said Kim Yates, spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service in Indianapolis. "We're wishing for his speedy recovery."

The robbery happened about 3 p.m. at the Chase branch at Southeastern and Northeastern avenues.

Several customers were in the bank, according to police, when an armed man carrying what appeared to be a rifle and a handgun entered through a back door. The man announced the robbery by firing a shot, Duhamell said.

At the same time, Norman parked his truck outside the front entrance. He saw the robbery in progress, then went behind the building to look for a possible getaway car, Duhamell said.

As the robber left through the back with an undetermined amount of cash, Norman confronted him, Duhamell said.

The two men fought over the gun; Norman was shot near the eye, and the gunman ran to an SUV.

Mike Wetzel, who works at Allied Appliances Co. across the street, was waiting on a customer when he heard the gunshot.

"I saw the postman fall, and then the police car came running," he said.

As the suspected robber tried to escape, a person driving a vehicle in a nearby parking lot tried to block the getaway vehicle but failed, police said.

The SUV went west on Southeastern Avenue with a police officer in pursuit. The speeding vehicle crashed into a ditch just west of Franklin Road, and police arrested the driver.

Abebe faces preliminary charges of attempted murder, robbery and carrying a handgun without a license.

According to Indiana Department of Correction records, Abebe has spent time in prison for burglary, welfare fraud and other charges.

[NWpostie]

look like he will be doing serious time in a Federal penitary, life max.

As to the Postman I hope his medical bills will be met by the legal department, as well a making a full recovery but I think the injuries will be life changing, a brave thing to do but not sensible,as he isn't carrying and the robber was.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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INDIANAPOLIS -- A postal worker who was shot in the face after encountering a bank robber Thursday spoke Saturday about the harrowing ordeal.

Robert Norman, 54, has worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 30 years, but he will spend the next six to eight weeks recovering from the wound, 6News' Sarah Cornell reported.

Norman and his doctors said he is very fortunate that the bullet struck right below his right eye.

"God protected me. I could have died," Norman said.

Norman was inside a Wanamaker Chase Bank, in the 8800 block of Southeastern Avenue, to get some spending money for lunch when Brook Abebe, 43, came in with two guns and demanded money, police said.

Police said Abebe was given cash and ran out of the bank, with Norman behind him.

"I went around the corner, and we were face-to-face. He was in my face," Norman said. "He was bringing the gun up, and I grabbed the pistol with my hand and he shot me in the face."

Norman was rushed to a hospital, and police caught Abebe after he crashed his car.

It wasn't the only out-of-the ordinary incident involving Norman. Earlier that same day, he noticed mail piling up at a house on his route. When police searched that home, they found the owner dead. She had been there for months.

Norman said that as a postal worker, it's his duty to look out for patrons and report illegal activity.

As he recovers at Methodist Hospital from a broken jaw, damaged eye socket and shattered cheekbone, Norman said he has no regrets.

"This was nothing to do with being a hero. I did what I had to do, and I'm just blessed that I survived," he said.

Abebe was being held Saturday in the Marion County Jail. He is being charged in the shooting of Norman and the bank robbery.

Police said Abebe is a convicted felon and is in the country illegally. According to investigators, Abebe stole the gun used in the robbery and confessed to the crime.