13 WTHR - Indianapolis News |Accused pawn shop robber says it wasn't his idea

Accused pawn shop robber says it wasn't his idea

Rich Van Wyk/Eyewitness News

Indianapolis - Eyewitness News has learned more about what happened inside an east side jewelry store when the owner shot and killed a robbery suspect Wednesday morning. It's a harrowing story of survival, and we also hear the suspects' side of the story.

Roscoe Parmley is back in his jewelry store. He feels lucky after surviving a hold-up that ended with Parmley killing one of the two robbers.

"I was only trying to keep my brother from making a mistake," said Nicholas Artry.

That mistake put Nicholas Artry in jail and claimed the life of his 18-year-old brother Corey. Nicholas insists he didn't know about the hold-up until they got to the store. He says he then tried talking his brother out of it.

"I made the best effort that I could and he decided to go in there and at the time I'm just thinking like, I can't let my brother go in here and just die," said Artry.

Detectives say it looked as if someone would die. "basically they just stormed in," said Det. Marcus Kennedy, Indianapolis Police Department. "The one with the gun, he actually put the gun to the heads of the three people that work here."

When Corey Artry's attention turned from Parmley, "he just noticed that was his opportune moment to strike back and that's when he started firing," Kennedy said.

Nicholas Artry denies holding a knife to an employee's throat, insisting he tried to protect the worker, and when the shooting was over, hid in the suspended ceiling. He says he was glad when the police showed up "because when the police came I knew that they weren't just gonna kill me on site," he said.

The brothers were in the store the day before - Nicholas Artry says shopping, but police say they were casing it. Even knowing workers were well armed, two brothers with no criminal records investigators say went ahead with the robbery.

Meanwhile, Parmley will likely not face charges in the shooting death of Corey Artry. Police say it looks like Parmley fired in self defense.