Madison police are investigating whether the suspected armed robber shot and killed Wednesday afternoon on Whittier Street is connected with previous robberies seen in the campus area.

According to MPD spokesperson Joel DeSpain, a dozen detectives are working on the shooting investigation.

The officer involved in the shooting is named Officer David Retlick, 33. According to Sgt. Jason Ostrenga, after five years of serving in another jurisdiction, Retlick joined MPD in May 2007. He is currently assigned to the South District.

DeSpain also said police located the handgun used by the alleged armed robber at the scene of the shooting.

The suspect was armed when the officer struggled with him, DeSpain said. The “nuances of what happened” in the seconds during the struggle is the subject of the District Attorney’s Office investigation.

Police protocol says an internal investigation will take place after an instance of deadly force being used and the officer involved is put on leave until the conclusion of the investigation.

According to DeSpain, the preliminary investigation points to the officer being justified in the use of deadly force.

Everyone in the department is gathering around the officer in support, DeSpain said. At the same time, the department is offering its condolences to the suspect’s family.

“This is not the outcome we want to see,” DeSpain said. “It’s something everyone is trained in, in the hopes they will never have to use.”

Ald. Julia Kerr, District 13, the alder for the location in which the shooting occurred, said the close proximity of the incident to her district was “very surprising.”

“It’s obviously very tragic and upsetting,” Kerr said.

DeSpain said there has been a “blip” of armed robberies recently, but it is still below the amount from last year at this time.

Preliminary data shows Madison has had 270 robberies from January to September 2009, while that number was 280 during the same period in 2008.