Law-abiding citizen with guns foils robbery that would have gone really badly

Roscoe Parmley knew he wouldn't have much time to act as he looked down the barrel of a gun in the hand of the masked man trying to rob his Eastside jewelry store.

"I just knew he was going to do something," Parmley, 76, said. "I saw my opportunity, and I took it."

The face-off at Rosco Jewelry ended Wednesday with the robbery suspect dead and his brother, arrested as his suspected accomplice, facing the potential of murder charges.

Rosco Jewelry, 5416 E. Washington St., has been a fixture in the Irvington area for 34 years. Parmley started out dealing in rare coins, then expanded into gold and other jewelry. He also sells firearms.

"Everybody in the neighborhood knows they are armed," Indianapolis Police Detective Marcus Kennedy said.
The suspects apparently knew it, too.

Corey Artry, 18, and his brother Nicholas Artry, 20, cased the store days before the botched robbery, police said, and saw the warnings inside -- shelves of firearms, a shotgun openly displayed and a sign that reads "We Don't Call 911." Undeterred, the suspects went into the store armed with a .22-caliber handgun and a knife, according to police and witness accounts.

The Artrys, however, quickly found themselves outgunned, police said.

The incident began about 10:40 a.m., when the suspects entered the store wearing masks and demanding cash, according to police.

Parmley said he had just sat down in a back room to eat breakfast when he heard the commotion and found himself staring at the armed man who had jumped over his counter.

The suspect took turns pointing the small pistol at Parmley, Parmley's wife, Hwa-Lan, 65, and store employee Michael Ross, 53. The man's partner jumped another counter, police said, and held a knife to the throat of jeweler Garry Brown, 49.

The men wanted money and demanded access to the safe.

In those panic-filled seconds, Hwa-Lan Parmley blurted out that she recognized the men as customers she had seen in the store two days before. At that moment, Roscoe Parmley, a retired Air Force veteran, said he felt the situation was going to end badly.

The suspect would likely perceive the burly Ross as the biggest threat, Parmley figured, so he waited until the gunman focused his aim in that direction.

Parmely then reached into his front pocket for his .38-caliber handgun and fired, striking the suspect five times. Hit, Corey Artry stood for a few heartbeats, Parmley said, then wobbled toward the door. He turned and raised his hand, the one holding the pistol, Parmley said. . . .

Thanks to an anonymous emailer.