A masked gunman shot and killed two bank employees during a robbery in Berea, Kentucky on Thursday afternoon and fled before police could apprehend him. As of Thursday evening, the suspect remained at large.
Kentucky State Police Trooper Scottie Pennington told reporters the man entered a US Bank branch on Chestnut Street around 2 p.m. local time, shot two employees and left. Authorities declined to say whether the suspect took money from the bank. They also could not confirm whether he fled on foot or in a vehicle.
The suspect was described as approximately 6 feet 3 inches tall and was last seen wearing a light-colored hooded sweatshirt, dark gloves, gray pants and light-colored athletic shoes.
State police urged residents of Berea and surrounding Madison County to lock their doors, keep porch lights on and call police if they saw anything suspicious. "We understand the citizens of Berea and in Madison County, they're scared right now, and we're scared for them," Pennington said.
Pennington addressed the suspect directly during the news conference. "You're in a lot of trouble — a lot of trouble — but just turn yourself in before anyone else gets hurt," he said.
Berea is a city of more than 16,000 people located roughly 40 miles south of Lexington.
