Police questioning 3 men in bank robbery, shooting that injured 3 women
Three men were questioned in what federal agents say was a robbery attempt that turned into a shooting at a Fort Worth bank on Thursday morning.
At least two men went into the Veritex Bank at 2424 Merrick Street — near Camp Bowie Boulevard and Interstate 30 — at 9:20 a.m. and opened fire, Fort Worth police Sgt. Chris Britt said.
Three women employees were shot and are hospitalized with serious but non-life-threatening injuries, Britt said.
Asked what happened inside the bank before shots were fired, FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric Jackson said it’s still under investigation. It wasn’t immediately clear if the shooters got away with any money.
Police handed control of the investigation over to the FBI just before noon. It was about that time that officers, including a Fort Worth SWAT team, surrounded a home in the 5700 block of Blackmore Avenue — about a mile-and-a-half south of the bank — on a tip that a vehicle involved in the robbery had driven there.
Three men were arrested outside the house, Britt said, but he couldn’t confirm if they were involved in the robbery. They were questioned. A fourth man was arrested on an unrelated warrant.
The block was closed while the investigation unfolded. Several residents who couldn’t go home sat outside with lawn chairs and watched police work from a single shady spot below a tree.
Police confirmed at around 2:30 p.m. that no one else was inside the house and lessened their presence in the neighborhood.
Asked if police are looking for other suspects, the FBI’s Jackson again said the investigation is ongoing.
The president of Veritex Bank, C. Malcolm Holland, issued a statement Thursday afternoon pledging to cooperate with police and assist in the case. He added: “As you know, three of our valued team/family members were shot in an apparent robbery and are currently being attended to at Tarrant County hospitals. Our highest and greatest concern is for their health and full recovery. All our employees are special to us. ... We ask for prayers for a healthy and positive outcome for our three teammates which we believe is the best medicine.”
Police don’t know if there were any customers in the bank when the shooting occurred, Britt said.
He asked for anyone with information to call 911. They are also looking for anyone who may have been around the bank at the time of the robbery and possibly saw something suspicious.
Of the 4,251 bank robberies recorded by the FBI in 2016, injuries occurred to 43 people. Of those 43 people injured, employees, 23 of them, were injured the most.
Nine customers and eight suspects were injured during those 2016 robberies, FBI records show. One employee and seven suspects died from the injuries they suffered during bank robberies in 2016, according to the FBI.
This story was originally published July 19, 2018 at 5:19 PM.