John David Brown at 32 was a fugitive and a prison escape. He had wounded a Rolla Mo. Police Officer on March 30th 1987, and two days later shot to death a church volunteer, Claude Long in Doolittle Mo. He had managed to elude the Mo. authorities during a state wide manhunt. He was a dangerous man on the run. He had killed before and would not hesitate to kill again. He had left the Rolla Mo. area after the shootings and apparently resurfaced in Grenada Mississippi about the 9th of april. He managed to rent a car in Grenada and drove back to Buckhorn Mo. where he abandoned the car on Saturday the 9th of May after eating Breakfast at his favorite resturant and fleeing State Troopers. Two days later he had been spotted near the spot where he had abandoned the car by State Troopers, and the Emergency response team had been set on his track. This part of Mo. being a heavely wooded area and very brushy allowed John Brown to easily elude searchers.

I. E. Pender and his daughter Earlene Wharton Had Moved from Colorado to Buckhorn Mo. and bought the Buckridge Markets with the hope of making a living and supplementing his Social Security checks. So far they were still loosing money and were struggling to make ends meet. They knew John David Brown was in the area and were well aware of his record. Mr. Pender concerned about his daughter and her young son Jeremy suggested that Earlene and her son stay at the store with him until John David Brown left the area or was caught. Mr. Pender, being a veteran of WWII was used to having guns around and having taught all of his children about guns and gun saftey normally had one handy.

Shortly after 1:00 am on Monday 11th of May 1987, Pender was awakened by the sound of glass breaking somewhere in his market. Finding his 357magnum under his pillow, Mr. Pender entered the store from his quarters in the back. The Buckridge Market is located on hwy 17 about five miles so of Buckhorn. Seeing a man below him loading food into a bucket Pender hollered "hold it right there". John Brown dropped the bucket and turned toward Pender. Thinking Brown was making a move for his gun Pender blazed away fanning his 357 single action revolver in true western fashion killing two bottles of pop and a pop machine. Brown in fear for his life leaped over the counter, through the window, and fled back into the woods. Meanwhile Pender's daughter Earlene, having heard the breaking glass, is waiting in another doorway for a clear shot with her 38 special.

About two weeks later John David Brown was captured in Oklahoma, when he is mistaken for another fugitive. He has a bullet wound in his leg and about $5000.00 on his person. He tells his captures that he caught a big rig from a truck stop near the area of the Buckridge Market. It was later discovered that he had a camp set up in the woods about a mile from the market. A stash of guns were discovered buried nearby. John David Brown is now serving life in the Missouri State Prison near Jefferson City.