Gunman who robbed Kansas City Zoo concession stand wore employee shirt, served customer

The gunman who robbed a Kansas City Zoo concession stand Sunday wore an employee shirt and served a customer a soft drink before pulling the heist, according to details released by police Monday.

The holdup occurred at 4:50 p.m. Sunday, just before the zoo closed, at the Treetops Snacks concession stand near the rhinos and hippos in the Africa section.

Two employees said they heard a knock on the side staff door and opened it to find a tall, skinny man with a short afro wearing a blue zoo shirt. The man said he worked at the Rafiki Cafe in the African Market area and needed to check the stand’s Dr Pepper supply because his cafe was low.

They showed him where they keep their soda. When a customer approached for a soft drink, the man pulled on a pair of food preparation gloves and served the customer, police said.

After the customer left, the man reportedly told the employees he needed “a favor.” He then lifted his shirt, pulled a black semiautomatic pistol and demanded cash from the register. After the employees backed away, the gunman opened the register drawer, stole an undisclosed amount of cash and fled.

Police ask anyone with information to call the TIPS Hotline at 816-474-TIPS (816-474-8477).

This story was originally published May 19, 2014 at 11:50 AM with the headline "Gunman who robbed Kansas City Zoo concession stand wore employee shirt, served customer."