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In the 30 years Theresa Jenkins' family has opened the doors of their restaurant to customers, they've never experienced anything like what happened Thursday night, when a sheriff's deputy eating dinner there was shot after attempting to stop an attempted robbery.

Deputies arrested Rodrick Caskey, 19, of 1781 Baker St. in Lancaster, on Friday morning in connection with the attempted robbery and shooting of an officer at the Shrimp Boat on Memorial Park Road.

Officer Brandon Rollins, an 11-year veteran with the Lancaster County Sheriff's Office, was shot once in the stomach, Sheriff Barry Faile announced Friday. Rollins, 33, was flown to a hospital where he is in stable condition.

Caskey faces charges for armed robbery and attempted murder, Faile said. More charges could be forthcoming.

Rollins is a member of the Lancaster County Drug Task Force. Rollins' photo will not be released at the request of the department.

At about 7 p.m. Thursday, Rollins and other drug task force officers were dining at the Shrimp Boat on their meal break when an armed suspect entered the restaurant demanding money from the cash register. The officers, who were wearing plain clothes, confronted the suspect and exchanged gunfire. The suspect fled the scene.

After a search that lasted several hours and involved more than 100 officers from 12 law enforcement agencies, authorities arrested Caskey a few miles from the restaurant on West Meeting Street where he was walking and had a gunshot wound to the face. He was taken to a hospital for treatment. His injuries were not life-threatening.

Faile would not comment on which officer fired the shot that struck Caskey. The investigation was turned over to the State Law Enforcement Division because it was an officer-related shooting.

Officers "work hard to try to make a difference in Lancaster County so it will be safe for people to raise their kids and families to go out to eat and have a decent time, and you got folks like this who come out and ruin it for everybody," Faile said.

"We are very happy that Investigator Rollins is doing well, and we ask that everyone keep Brandon and his family in their thoughts and prayers," Faile said in a release. "We are also grateful for all of the agencies that came to our assistance and helped us bring this violent individual to justice."

'Close to home'
"Things like this don't usually happen around here," said Koury Faile, whose family owns Red Rose Motors across the street from the Shrimp Boat restaurant.

"Especially for it to happen this close to home for us, it's just terrible. It really is," he said. "Everybody around this corner knows everybody."

Employees at Crossroads Grill and convenience store sees what happened as a sign of the times.

"Based on the way the economy is in Lancaster, it seems like things are getting worse and worse around here," said restaurant employee Jason Sims.

Sandra O'Neal said officers eat breakfast at the grill all the time.
"We hate that it happened," she said. "It's that time of year and people are going crazy."

On Friday, Jenkins and her family were working hard at the restaurant so they could reopen later in the day.

Her son was managing Thursday night when the robber ordered everyone down on the ground, she said.

She called the deputies heroes and angels for jumping up and running "into the danger."

"Our local sheriff's department should be recognized for what they did because they saved my employees' lives."