Still doing his job.

Michigan resident Robert Strickland, 57, joined the Detroit Police Department in 1967 and retired on disability as a sergeant in 1986.

At 12:50 a.m. on June 5th, while walking toward a lounge on the city's east side, he was approached by three teenagers. One of the youths brandished a gun and demanded money. Strickland did not resist, and surrendered his cash and credit cards. Despite Strickland's cooperation, the armed teen shot him in the stomach.

Unbeknownst to the young thugs, however, Strickland was legally carrying two handguns. Drawing both, he fired a total of 17 shots, wounding one of the suspects, 15, in the back and another, 18, in the left leg. The third suspect, Antonio Harris, 18, was killed by a bullet that struck him in the head.

Strickland then walked into the lounge, where he is a regular customer, and sat in a chair at the end of the bar closest to the door. Bartender Stephanie Henry told the June 6th Detroit Free Press that Strickland appeared to be calm. "He just sat down and told me to call the police." She did not realize at first that he had been shot. "It was," she said, "a scary feeling" when she found out, since the bar has had little trouble with crime.

The two wounded suspects were taken to St. John Detroit Riverside Hospital, where both were reported in serious condition. Strickland was listed in critical but stable condition at Detroit Receiving Hospital. All three were expected to recover.

The suspects face sundry felony charges, including armed robbery. Homicide inspector Craig Schwartz told the Free Press that no charges were expected against Strickland.