2 U.S. Bank employees dead, person in custody after bank robbery
A female bank teller and a man are dead after being shot during a bank robbery, and the suspect in the case was facing federal charges May 1 for the attack that took place one day earlier in Central Kentucky.
Kentucky State Trooper Justin Kearney said the robbery, which involved a masked gunman, took place the afternoon of April 30 at a U.S. Bank location in Berea. The city is in Madison County, about a 45-minute drive south of Lexington.
“This is a really terrible day for Berea,” Kearny told reporters during a news conference.
It was not immediately known whether anyone else was being investigated in connection to the incident.
As of May 1, police had not released the victims’ identities. USA TODAY has reached out to troopers for more information.
According to a federal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Kentucky, 18-year-old Brailen Weaver walked into the bank just before 2 p.m., immediately shot a male victim and shortly after shot a bank teller. The suspect then searched several bank drawers before fleeing and driving off in a silver BMW sedan with Alabama plates.
The BMW, the complaint filed by an FBI agent continues, was later found to be for sale on Facebook by an individual with an account linked to Weaver. During a search of Weaver’s social media page, the FBI reported agents found photos of him wearing the same shoes and pants seen on the suspect in video recorded during the bank robbery.
The suspect was later apprehended during a police chase that exceeded 100 miles per hour and ended in Lexington the night of the robbery, the complaint reviewed by USA TODAY shows.
Court documents show Weaver has been charged with armed bank robbery, use/discharge of a firearm in a crime of violence and causing death with firearm in the course of a violation.
USA TODAY has reached out to Weaver’s attorney for comment.