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GUN SHOP OWNER SHOT
Former Edmonton cop wounded in the leg during attempted robbery last night
By RAQUEL EXNER and DAN PALMER, EDMONTON SUN
A retired Edmonton police sergeant suffered a gunshot wound to the leg last night after a botched robbery by two masked gun-toting men in his downtown gun shop.
Phil Harnois suffered one gunshot wound to the upper leg during the 8 p.m. attempted robbery at Klondike Arms & Antiques, also known as P & D Enterprises, at 10552 115 St. Both assailants were brandishing handguns and fled the bloody scene after the shooting.
Harnois, the owner of the gun store, was conscious and listed in stable condition in University hospital late last night.
City police Insp. Dennis Pysyk said the shopkeeper and a woman were getting ready to close the store when the attempted heist happened.
"It's too early to tell what the motive for the robbery was as no demands were made by the suspects," said Pysyk.
North Division Staff Sgt. Brian Nowlan said Harnois retired about five years ago from North Division after reaching the rank of sergeant.
Nowlan said fellow officers at the station talked last night about how Harnois was never seriously hurt during his years on the force, but was shot in retirement.
"That's a little strange - ironic," said Nowlan, who has fond memories of his former colleague.
"He's always been a street guy. He wasn't an (administration) guy. He paid his dues. He never took a cushy job."
Downtown Division Sgt. Kevin Galvin said Harnois always took time out to keep the victim of a crime informed about a case when he worked as a detective in major crimes - sometimes joking with them on the phone for a few minutes to make them feel at ease.
"He was very committed to the craft," he said.
Harnois was also keen on police officer safety, which was one of the reasons he started his business, said Galvin.
"He brought in the stuff the organizations didn't provide, but allowed us to use," said Galvin, referring to such items as high-quality handcuffs and gun shoulder holsters for undercover officers.
Cops late last night continued the hunt for the gunmen and are pleading for any witnesses who may have seen the masked duo, or anyone with information about the case, to call police.
Cops did a high-risk takedown near 109 Street and 87 Avenue minutes after the shooting but the people in the vehicle tuned out not to be the suspects.
Investigators found a gun on the sidewalk in front of the store and placed a box over it before it was recovered. About five cruisers were on scene, as well as a police van and a forensics unit. The scene was cordoned off in yellow police tape.
In July 1993, three teens from the Stony Plain area faced charges after the manager of a downtown shooting range and gun shop was fatally shot in the head. Gordon Davidge was shot during an armed robbery at the former Firing Line, 10343 107 St., shop. Five handguns were taken.
I do buisness with Phil and his wife Diane on a regular basis. I'm beyond pissed off now. I just went from a "make sure my customers and people using my range don't get hurt by a robber' to a "shooting him in the face the second he walks in and tries to hold me up" mentality. Since I can draw and fire in .6 seconds or faster, I'm willing to roll the dice now and very confident on the outcome. I'm convinced that this scum in our society is only going to be stopped by using more force on them than they use on us, and as of now, I'm going to do it.
Also, the firing line bit in the story was also an old pal of mine. One of my best friends Don Godfray ran the Calgary Firing Line, and was hit the next day by the same guys who had hit the Edmonton Location. His guardian angel was with him that day, and they never shot him, like they did his co-worker and co-manager from Edmonton.
Very angry Gman.
