Woodbury police: Jewelry store heist ends with robber dead

A Saturday morning robbery along a busy route in Woodbury ended with one gunman fatally shooting himself in the store and another robber fleeing, police said.

The robbery was reported about 9:30 a.m. at Johnson Jewelers at 783 Radio Drive.

The owner of the family-owned store was uninjured, police said. Steve Johnson, brother of the owner, and another employee were just opening up for the day when the robbers allegedly grabbed jewelry.

A police officer interrupted the robbery before anyone even called 911.

That officer was on routine patrol in the area of Radio Drive and Tamarack Road when he noticed suspicious activity in the parking lot at the Seasons Market, said Michelle Okada, a police spokeswoman.

"As he was checking the lot, an employee ran out of Johnson Jewelers alerting him of a robbery in progress," she said. "While investigating the robbery, the officer heard what sounded like a gunshot from within the store."

Officers found a dead man in his mid-50s in the store. They believe he was one of the robbers, she said.

Okada said the suspect was the only person who fired a shot and that his wound was self-inflicted.

Police are looking for at least one more suspect. He's believed to be driving a blue four-door Chevrolet Impala Sedan with license plate 621 NAV. It is registered to a Minneapolis man.

The identity of the dead suspect was not released on Saturday.

Joy Powell • 612-673-7750