Bank Robber’s Facebook Posts Led To His Arrest After He Killed Two Workers In Robbery, Police Say

An 18-year-old has been arrested aft allegedly killing 2 group during a slope robbery successful Kentucky, and constabulary opportunity his societal media posts led to his arrest.

Brailen Weaver is charged pinch equipped slope robbery and firearms offenses that caused death, according to national tribunal records.

Weaver entered a branch of U.S. Bank successful Berea connected Thursday conscionable earlier 2 p.m. and “immediately changeable and killed a antheral victim” and past fatally changeable a teller, according to an FBI affidavit revenge successful national tribunal Friday.

He checked aggregate drawers successful nan slope and past fled, nan affidavit said. Investigators person not said if immoderate money was taken from nan bank.

"While location is nary longer imminent danger, we understand that nan calamity is acold from complete for nan community," Olivia Olson, typical supplier successful complaint of nan Louisville FBI office, said astatine a news convention Friday.

“The only solace that we tin connection is that this individual, who weighted a stolen dollar much than 2 quality lives, will beryllium held accountable to nan fullest grade of nan law.”

Officials said Weaver could besides look authorities charges related to nan homicides. Court records opportunity Weaver is 18, and officials said Friday he lived location successful Kentucky.

Authorities identified a metallic BMW sedan connected surveillance video and matched it to a car for waste by Weaver connected Facebook, nan affidavit said.

Investigators were besides capable to lucifer clothing connected nan fishy to photos of Weaver connected societal media. Investigators said Weaver continued to station connected societal media aft nan robbery.

The FBI located Weaver’s car connected I-75, and he was pursued astatine speeds complete 100 mph (161 kph) Thursday night. He exited nan road into Lexington, wherever he exceeded speeds of 130 mph (209 kph) earlier crashing nan car and fleeing connected foot, nan affidavit said.

Kentucky State Police Officer Justin Kearney said successful a societal media station Friday that a “person of liking believed to beryllium progressive successful yesterday’s Berea slope robbery has been apprehended."

The affidavit was written earlier he was captured truthful makes nary mention of an arrest.

Rawl Kazee, a Lexington lawyer identified successful tribunal records arsenic practice for Weaver, did not instantly return a telephone connection later Friday morning.

Jason Parman, first adjunct U.S. lawyer for nan eastbound half of Kentucky, said successful his 18 years arsenic a prosecutor, he could not callback a decease related to a slope robbery. Parman said it’s not uncommon for a slope robber to beryllium equipped and to frighten violence, but deaths are uncommon successful his experience.

Bank robberies nationally person declined from 5,546 successful 2010 to 1,263 successful 2023, a alteration of 77%, according to nan FBI’s yearly Bank Crime Statistics report. There were nary deaths associated pinch slope robberies successful 2022 and 2023, nan astir caller twelvemonth disposable for nan data.

Law enforcement officials went doorway to doorway successful hunt of accusation and surveillance video, arsenic good arsenic utilizing helicopters, drones and dogs. The Lexington Police Department and region sheriff’s offices took portion successful nan search, on pinch nan FBI and nan Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Area schools went into lockdown for a while Thursday until campuses were deemed safe. Students were not allowed to spell location connected buses and had to beryllium picked up by their parents, authorities constabulary said.

U.S. Bank said it was moving intimately pinch rule enforcement and committed to supporting nan victims' families and slope colleagues. The mini slope branch successful nan quiet organization of Berea is located conscionable a mile from Berea College and its field that dates backmost to nan 1850s.

“We’re profoundly saddened by nan tragic arena that took nan lives of 2 of our labor astatine our Berea, Kentucky branch earlier today,” nan institution said successful a connection Thursday. “Our hearts spell retired to nan families of nan victims, our colleagues and nan full Berea community.”

Berea is astir 36 miles (58 kilometers) southbound of Lexington.