(Alliance, Neb.)- As of 9:00 p.m., (MDT), the Nebraska State Patrol continues negotiations with an armed suspect inside an Alliance pharmacy.

The incident began just before 9:00 a.m., (MDT), Tuesday, June 12, when an armed male suspect walked into the Thiele Pharmacy, in the 300 block of Box Butte Avenue, downtown Alliance.  Officers with the Alliance Police Department responded to a 911 call reporting an armed man entering the building.

During the initial response, Alliance Police Officer Kirk Felker, 43, was wounded in an exchange of gunfire.  Felker, a 15-year veteran of the Alliance Police Department is being treated for his injuries at the Box Butte General Hospital in Alliance. His injuries are non-life threatening.

The Nebraska State Patrol responded to the scene just after 9:00 a.m., where NSP resources began assisting the local authorities with perimeter set up and clearing nearby buildings.

Just after 10:30 a.m., (MDT), a trooper with the Nebraska State Patrol SWAT team was wounded when gunfire was exchanged through a door into an adjacent building. Trooper Tim Flick, 37, a 15-year veteran of the agency suffered gunshot wounds to the left side of his body, and is currently in serious but stable condition at the Box Butte General Hospital in Alliance.  A second Alliance Police Officer suffered a shrapnel wound at the time Trooper Flick was shot. Officer Matt Shannon, a five year veteran of the Alliance Police Department was treated and released from the Box Butte General Hospital.

The Nebraska State Patrol was able to establish phone contact with the suspect inside the pharmacy and negotiations began.

At approximately 4:30 p.m., (MDT), the lone hostage escaped from the building. During his escape the hostage was wounded and transported to the Box Butte General Hospital in Alliance. The name of the hostage and the extent of his injuries are not being released at this time.

The business district of downtown Alliance remains cordoned off and residents are urged to avoid the area.

The Nebraska State Patrol is being assisted by law enforcement officers from the Alliance, Scottsbluff and Chadron Police Department, and the Box Butte County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistance is also being provided by the Alliance Volunteer Fire Department, Nebraska Department of Roads and the Alliance Street Department.

Further updates will be provided as developments continue to unfold

UPDATE: 8:58 pm-  Around 7:45 Nebraska State Patrol held a Media Conference to discus the current situation at hand in Alliance Nebraska at Thiele Pharmacy & Gifts where a hostage situation arose Tuesday morning at what first was a robbery, that quickly turned into  a hostage situation. Not only is a hostage situation unpredictable and nearly uncontrollable, it’s also a time when every thing is put to a halt and the community as a whole state of Nebraska feels the concern as time passes.

“When we woke this morning in the best hometown in america little did anyone in our wildest dreams foresee what would transpire today” says , Alliance Mayor  Fred Feldges at the begging of the conference.  “At 8:50 this morning a 911 call was receive that changed our lives in Alliance” he continues. Around that time Alliance police arrived at Thiele Pharmacy & Gifts where the first call that sparked the hostage situation was made. Once the police arrived, an officer had been shot, suffering from non-life threatening injury’s.  “Our sympathies go out to all concerned with this incident, and the tragedy here is that it’s still on going” say Feldges as he opens up for questions by the media.

Lieutenant Lance Rodgers with the Nebraska State Patrol of Scotsbluff, Chief John Kiss, and City Manager J.D. Cox answered various questions for the media while trying to give as much information as they are aloud.

“We’re hopeful for everyone involved in today incident” says City Manager J.D. Cox as he begins to inform that there are many agency’s that helped the city of Alliance today. “After our police department had the initial response to this incident, it became very clear very early in the incident that we would need assistance, and so assistance was sought and assistance responded” says Cox. The City of Alliance does not have very much experience with this kind of situation and under the conditions everyone involved is working/worked very well to contain restore peace.  The State Highway Patrol responded to the call for assistance as well as the Alliance Volunteer Fire Department was on the scene early and was still there during the conference.

Chief John Kiss then began to speak.  “We did have two officers who were injured today. One was 35 Officer Matt Shannon, he was with Alliance Police department for 5 years, he was treated and released. The other officer was 43 Kirk Felker he has been with the Alliance police department 15 years, he has sustained injury’s and he’s recovering. ” Two officers today risked their lives today in response to the call.

Lieutenant Lance Rodgers says “We received the call at approximately 8:45 this morning” “Upon arrival we set up a corner”  Rodgers continued. Each alliance has set up a corner, the Police Department, Sheriffs Department each had a corner as the authority began to asses the situation. Shortly after Negotiators arrived. Negotiators had not been able to create a communication with the gunman until approximately 7:30 in the evening. Negotiators worked at trying to get the gunman out of the building. Rodgers confirms there is a second location being investigated in association with the bodies found at 6th and Cody. Authority’s are unable to confirm that there is a body at that location.

A hostage of the gunman was able to escape. The name of the hostage is Charls Lierk, owner of Thiele Pharmacy and Gifts. He had been held hostage for over seven hours.

After the question heard below was asked, Negotiators are confirmed to have made communication with the gunman, but the details were unknown at the time.
Asmore information is available, will be posted.

ALLIANCE, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a gunman wounded two police officers and is holding at least one hostage inside a western Nebraska drugstore after a botched robbery attempt.

Local authorities say before the hostage situation began, the person had killed two people at a local mobile home.  A second officer with the Nebraska State Patrol SWAT Team had been shot while trying to get into position. Both officers have non life threatening injury’s.

Alliance City Manager J.D. Cox says the gunman inside Thiele Pharmacy & Gifts is believed to be heavily armed and “there is tremendous concern” for the hostage.

Authorities say the standoff began about 8:50 a.m. Tuesday. Nebraska State Patrol spokeswoman Deb Collins says a patrol SWAT team is on the scene, which she described as “extremely dangerous.” Entire downtown blocks in the small town of Alliance are shut down.

Cox says an Alliance police officer was shot early in the standoff and the trooper was wounded later in the morning. Cox says the first officer had surgery, but didn’t immediately know the conditions of either.

NORTH PLATTE- With all the excitement of Nebraskaland Days and the Miss Rodeo pageant both Miss Rodeo Nebraska Sierra Peterson and Miss Rodeo America Mackenzie Carr  stopped by to talk to us at The North Platte Post about how excited they are to be here and what they enjoy about the pageant. I (Kris Allen) was able to snap a picture with the two rodeo stars before they left! They have a very busy schedule, the chance to interview them both was an honor!

 

Interview as heard on Mix 97.1

    Video of Interview