Buckshot Behind the Counter: The Legend of Pensacola’s “Wild Bill” Alfred

For more than half a century, locals around Pensacola knew they could walk up to the pharmacy counter and get two things from William Thomas Alfred: expert care and a great story. Warm, sharp-witted, and endlessly charismatic, “Wild Bill” spent 57 years serving the community as a pharmacist, but one fateful Saturday in September 1980 cemented his place in Escambia County lore forever.

Born in Pensacola in 1928, Alfred got his start in the trade at just twelve years old, delivering prescriptions on a bicycle for Taranto’s Pharmacy. After graduating from Pensacola Catholic High School and earning his pharmacy degree from the University of Florida in 1950, he became a fixture across numerous local drugstores—including Johnson’s, Palafox, Dewberry’s, and City Drugs. By 1980, he was running the Plee-Zing Pharmacy on West Jackson Street in Myrtle Grove. At the time, pharmacies were facing relentless burglaries; Alfred’s own store had been targeted multiple times that year alone.

That September, an armed robber walked in, held the staff at gunpoint, forced everyone to the floor, and demanded a stash of narcotics packed into a pillowcase. Alfred complied, but as the gunman turned to flee toward a getaway car parked outside, the druggist grabbed a pump shotgun and gave chase. When Alfred shouted for him to halt, the suspect wheeled around and aimed a pistol directly at him. Alfred didn’t hesitate, firing back in self-defense and fatally striking the robber.

The incident turned the shotgun-toting pharmacist into an instant local celebrity. Known for his candid humor and unapologetic readiness—often keeping a derringer in his pocket, a backup pistol strapped to his boot, and a sign warning that his counter was covered by “Double-Ought Buckshot Insurance”—Alfred never shied away from who he was.

Yet beneath the formidable nickname was a devoted civic servant and family man. Alfred spent a decade on the Escambia County Civil Service Board, gave his time generously to anyone seeking guidance, and raised a bustling blended family alongside his wife, Patricia. When he passed away in 2005 at the age of 77, Pensacola didn’t just lose a colorful gunslinging legend; it lost a dedicated native son who spent his entire life protecting and serving his hometown.

Michael Earl Simmons is a retired Pensacola Police Officer, author, and local crime historian. In addition to blog posts, Michael Earl also writes books, conducts walking tours in downtown Pensacola, and gives live event talks about local crimes that occurred in Pensacola. Go to sweetteamurders.com for more information.