With a loaded .22-caliber long-barreled handgun pointed in his face, Madison Police Officer David Retlick deflected the weapon with his arm, stepped back a few feet and fired five shots at the robbery suspect who had aimed the gun at him, Madison Police Chief Noble Wray said at a news conference Friday.

The Wednesday shooting that killed Gregory J. Bickford, 26, in a quiet residential neighborhood on Madison's South Side was justified, Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard said.

"There is no question this is a justifiable use of force," Blanchard said at the news conference. "It's hard to imagine a more dangerous situation for any human being."

Retlick, 33, fired five times on Bickford, whose last known address was in Sun Prairie. Blanchard said four shots entered Bickford's body. The fifth bullet has not been recovered.

Chief Deputy Coroner Kurt Karbusicky said all four bullets struck Bickford's torso.

No shots were fired from Bickford's gun, which was recovered at the scene, police said.

Police do not know if the gun was Bickford's or where he might have obtained it, said police spokesman Howard Payne.

"We have no information the gun was stolen," Payne said.

The incident took place near the corner of Lakeside and Whittier streets just before 5 p.m.

The Dane County Sheriff's Office refused to release a photograph of Bickford at the request of Madison police, who are investigating whether he was involved in recent robberies.

Payne said Bickford was known to use heroin, and it is believed that he committed an armed robbery at a nearby Cousins Subs at 1124 S. Park St. just minutes before he was shot.

A large amount of cash similar to the amount taken in the Cousins robbery and a handwritten note indicating a robbery were found in Bickford's pocket, Wray said.

Statements by at least two witnesses supported Retlick's version of the incident, and an autopsy on Bickford supported Retlick's account of the shooting, Blanchard said.

"The loss of any life is a sad event," Blanchard said. But he added Retlick would face no liability for the shooting.

Madison attorney David Knoll not only represented Bickford in his most recent criminal cases, he is a friend of Retlick.

Knoll said Retlick is "a good guy and a good cop" who is "going to suffer terribly over it because he's a decent guy."

Knoll said Bickford was among the last people he would have expected to die in an armed confrontation with police. He said he knew of no armed robberies or violent crime in his past. Bickford was someone who had some problems, which included struggling with minor criminal issues and with employment, Knoll said.

"There was absolutely nothing extraordinary or menacing about Mr. Bickford," Knoll said. "He was exceptional in his unexceptionalness."

Retlick, who was placed on administrative leave while the district attorney's office reviewed the shooting, can return to work when he chooses, Wray said.

"This has been a very traumatic situation," Wray said. "The gun was pointed just inches away from his face. He blocked a gun and had to use deadly force."

Lt. Stephanie Bradley Wilson said Retlick needs more time to deal with the emotional aspects of the incident, but is expected to return to duty.

"It's a difficult situation," she said of the circumstances surrounding the shooting, adding, "He handled it admirably."

According to Dane County Circuit Court records, Bickford had a history of retail thefts. On Dec. 18, 2008, Bickford allegedly stole video games from Shopko and told police that he steals because he has no job and has a child to support.

On Nov. 20. 2008, he allegedly took a "large selection" of Blu-Ray disks, worth $1,789, from Wal-Mart, 4199 Nakoosa Trail. Bickford told police at the time he had been laid off and didn't have much money, a criminal complaint states.

Bickford had been free on $1,000 bail, but he was going to lose the money because he had missed some court dates, according to court records. On Aug. 31, he wrote to Judge William Hanrahan that the bail money had been posted by his girlfriend's mother, Connie Schwark, saying, "She does not deserve to lose her money because I missed court."

Bickford did not show up for a hearing on Monday and the bail was forfeited. There was a warrant for his arrest at the time of his death.

In 2007, Bickford filed for a harassment restraining order against his biological mother, Kathryn M. Foulk. But he noted in his filing that she is not legally his mother because he is adopted.

Bickford said Foulk had threatened to kill him and his girlfriend, Helen Schwark, and anyone "who thinks that they can come in between me and my son," and also threatened to kill Schwark if Bickford didn't "straighten up."

The order was never issued because nobody showed up to a hearing on the petition, court records show. Foulk is currently in Dane County jail awaiting sentencing for driving a stolen vehicle.

State Journal reporter Ed Treleven contributed to this story.