Arrest Made in Deadly Kentucky Bank Robbery

UPDATE May 1, 2026 8:52 AM CDT

An arrest has been made in a bank robbery that left two people dead Thursday afternoon in a small Kentucky city, police say. A Kentucky State Police spokesman announced Friday morning that "a person of interest" in the deadly robbery has been apprehended, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports. Police said a man fatally shot US Bank employees Breanna Edwards and Brian Switzer during the robbery in Berea, around 36 miles south of Lexington. The Lexington Police Department and county sheriff's offices joined the search for the suspect, as did the FBI and the ATF, reports the AP. "This was a team effort," the state police spokesman said.

May 1, 2026 12:00 AM CDT

A bank robbery in a small Kentucky city ended with two employees dead and a gunman on the run Thursday afternoon, Kentucky.com reports. Authorities say the incident unfolded around 2pm at a US Bank branch on Chestnut Street in Berea, where a man and a woman who worked at the bank were fatally shot, according to Madison County Coroner Jimmy Cornelison and state police. One victim died at the scene, the other at a local hospital. The suspect escaped before officers arrived and was still being sought as of early evening, with Kentucky State Police describing him as armed and dangerous and sharing a description: approximately 6'3" and wearing a light-colored hoodie, gray sweatpants, dark gloves, light-colored athletic shoes, and a mask, CBS News reports.

State and local officers, along with federal agents from the ATF, are canvassing the area, though investigators aren't yet sure whether the suspect fled on foot, by vehicle, or was picked up by someone. Helicopters, drones, and canines are being used, and authorities are scrutinizing surveillance video from the area and going door to door, the AP reports. Berea Police asked the public to avoid the area and report anything suspicious; schools briefly halted bus routes and Berea College went into lockdown during the search. "We're trying our best to bring this evil person to justice," Trooper Scottie Pennington said, noting all available resources are being used. Anyone with tips is urged to call Kentucky State Police at 859-623-2404.