Optical store robbery suspect shot and killed, now accomplice is charged with his death

FOX POINT (WITI) -- He didn't pull the trigger. But now, a friend is charged with the murder of his friend. Prosecutors say the men tried to rob Innovative Optique in Fox Point. Investigators say a store employee shot one of them dead.

Tedric Sanders is accused of running into the optical store armed with a mask on. He made it out alive. His friend did not.

Sanders appears lucky he wasn't killed himself. You could see a visible bullet wound on his head as he made his way into court for his initial appearance on Tuesday, August 19th.

Tedric Sanders

A criminal complaint says Sanders and two others entered Innovative Optique last Thursday. They pointed a gun at the owner. The owner's brother was also armed -- and fired at the suspects.

Suspected robber 22-year-old Joshua Drake was killed. Sanders suffered a wound to his head and drove to a hospital. His lengthy past criminal history was read in court on Tuesday.

FOX6 News shot video as Milwaukee police took possession of the suspected get-away car outside Aurora Sinai Medical Center -- where Sanders checked himself in.

Sanders was already in legal trouble. He was out on bail after being arrested following a high-speed chase in Wauwatosa. On the day of the Fox Point shooting, Sanders was supposed to be in court for this case. His mother called the court to say he couldn't make it -- since he was in the hospital.

In Wisconsin, anyone who is responsible for an armed robbery can be held responsible for the outcome -- even if they did not fire the fatal shot themselves.

If convicted, Sanders could spend more than 40 years in prison.