Albert Petrosky

Case overview

Albert Petrosky was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He was awaiting transfer to prison when he committed suicide in the Denver County Jail.

Timeline

• April 28, 1995 — Albert Petrosky walked into an Albertson's Grocery Store in suburban Denver, Colorado and gunned down his estranged wife and the store manager.
• Friday morning — A heavily armed man killed three people at an Albertson’s supermarket in a Denver suburb; the gunman was identified as Albert L. Petrosky.
• March 29, 1996 — Jury heard evidence including an inventory of Petrosky’s rampage (“Jury hears grim inventory of Petrosky's rampage”).
• Thursday — Dr. Ben Galloway testified in court about autopsy findings for all three victims.

The offence

Albert Petrosky opened fire in a crowded grocery store in suburban Denver, Colorado, killing his wife and two others. The wife, Terry, worked in the store and had recently obtained a restraining order against him.

Albert Petrosky strapped on a bullet-proof vest, grabbed his pistol, assault rifle equipped with a bipod, and a hunting rifle, and headed to Albertson’s. At the store, he shot his wife, the store manager, and Jefferson County Sheriff Sgt. Timothy Mossbrucker, who was getting out of his patrol car. As he tried to flee, Petrosky was tackled by a construction worker who held him down until police arrived.

Petrosky entered the supermarket (an Albertson’s store) about 9:30 A.M. and fatally shot the manager and the manager of the delicatessen there. Store workers told reporters that the gunman threatened the deli manager over the telephone. When Petrosky left the store he started firing in the parking lot, where deputies had arrived.

Petrosky was armed with an L.A.R. Grizzly 50 caliber sniper rifle, an SKS Chinese semi-automatic assault rifle, a .32 revolver, and a 9mm semi-automatic pistol. Petrosky fired all four weapons, including the 50 caliber rifle, during the rampage. Investigators found three fired 50 caliber cases and eight live 50 caliber rounds outside Petrosky’s van, along with four live rounds inside the van.

Petrosky later exchanged fire with a federal IRS agent passing by in the shopping center parking lot, and killed Sgt. Timothy Mossbrucker of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Department.

Investigation and evidence

When authorities test-fired Petrosky’s Grizzly 50 caliber rifle, Jefferson County Chief Deputy District Attorney Peter Weir said it “blasted through a manhole cover ‘like a hot knife through butter.’”

Arrest and apprehension

A construction worker crept up behind Petrosky and hit him in the back of the head with a stone, knocking him to the ground. The construction worker then helped deputies subdue him. Police arrested Petrosky after the incident.

Trial

Albert Petrosky, 36, was on trial for three counts of first-degree murder in the Jefferson County District Court case. He faced a possible death penalty if convicted. Petrosky’s lawyers admitted he did the shootings but claimed the episode was a crime of passion.

Autopsy testimony

Dr. Ben Galloway, the forensic pathologist who conducted autopsies on all three victims of the April 28, 1995 shooting rampage, testified.

Relatives of the victims showed no noticeable reaction as he testified. Some bowed their heads to avoid seeing stark color photographs of their loved ones’ remains.

Dr. Galloway said Terry Petrosky (37) was hit eight times from her torso down to her left leg, and two shots to the chest were fatal. Counting exit wounds, Dr. Galloway inventoried 14 wounds, including that “one bullet entered and exited the same arm twice.”

Dr. Galloway said Albertson’s store manager Dan Suazo (37) was shot three times in the back. Two of those wounds caused fatal damage, and he was shot by a large-caliber handgun. Dr. Galloway said it sent three bullets clear through his body.

Dr. Galloway said Jefferson County Sheriff Sgt. Timothy Mossbrucker (36), shot in his patrol car in the parking lot as he arrived at the scene, was struck once in the face by one round from a .30-caliber SKS semiautomatic rifle.

Sentencing

Aftermath

A newspaper report stated that Petrosky later committed suicide after having been convicted of three counts of murder.

Petrosky was identified as Albert L. Petrosky, 35, of Denver in a report of the incident. Another account described him as a 36-year old auto mechanic. He was known to friends as “50-cal Al.”

Petrosky was wanted at the time on a felony warrant, but he was able to buy the 50 caliber sniper rifle from a gun dealer without a background check because the federal Brady Law did not apply to long guns at that time. The dealer who sold him the rifle was reported to have said, “I feel real bad about what happened.”

It was stated that Petrosky was not wealthy. He was an auto mechanic who spent a lot of time playing pool, had a criminal record, and was a wanted man.

Authorities tested the rifle’s power, and a statement discussed Barrett Firearms Manufacturing dismissing evidence of the 50 caliber’s power by referencing an internet web site, including the phrase “Capable of shooting through a steel manhole cover that is 3½ inches thick.”

Names and victims

• Albert Petrosky (defendant), identified as Albert L. Petrosky, 35, of Denver in a report; described as 36-year old auto mechanic in another account; known to friends as “50-cal Al”.
• Terry Petrosky (estranged wife and store worker), 37; shot and killed during the rampage.
• Dan Suazo (Albertson’s store manager), 37; shot and killed during the rampage.
• Timothy Mossbrucker (Jefferson County Sheriff Sgt.), 36; shot and killed during the rampage while in his patrol car.