Gov. Hogan Thanks Pharmacist Who Served Customers During Riots

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Governor Hogan retraces the steps of a victim of the Baltimore riots, a pharmacist who put the well-being of her patients ahead of her own.

Pat Warren reports the business is still recovering.

The CVS at Penn and North -- looted and burned -- was not the only pharmacy hit by rioters looking for drugs. Neighborhood pharmacy Breathe 4 Sure Pharmacy Solutions was looted and vandalized. Much of its inventory was stolen.

Unlike some other businesses, pharmacist Maisha McCoy found a way to stay open.

"The front door was destroyed initially and we boarded the doors," said McCoy.

She served customers through a broken window.

"And I would just slide the window up and pray nobody got, you know," said McCoy. "But it worked out really well, and we were able to service the 100 customers that we had, and they stayed with us."

Maisha McCoy has received a Storefront Improvement Grant to revitalize businesses that were affected by the unrest, along with an executive thank you.

"This is a governor's official coin, which we hardly ever give out. There will only a couple people who have them. But it's presented for excellence. And I just want to thank you for what you've done here," said Governor Larry Hogan.

In the aftermath of the riots, the pharmacy no longer stocks much in the way of painkillers or narcotics.

The state earmarked $650,000 in grants for businesses that needed new doors, windows and signs destroyed by vandals.