Two U.S. Bank employees were shot and killed before a multi-agency manhunt led to an arrest.
A bank robbery in Berea, Kentucky, turned fatal on Thursday, April 30, 2026, when a masked gunman walked into a U.S. Bank branch on Chestnut Street and shot two employees dead before fleeing the scene on foot. Within hours, a multi-agency manhunt spanning several counties was underway. By this morning, a person of interest was in custody, and two families had been left to grieve losses that reached far beyond their own front doors.
The victims
The two people killed were identified late Thursday by Kentucky State Police.
Brian Switzer, 42, of Jessamine County, was one of the bank employees shot during the robbery. He was pronounced dead at the scene. That same evening, Mt. Hebron Baptist Church in Garrard County held a prayer vigil for his family. Breanna Edwards, 35, of Madison County, was the second victim. She was transported to Saint Joseph Berea Hospital, where she later died from her injuries. Madison County Coroner Jimmy Cornelison confirmed both deaths.
U.S. Bank released a statement expressing grief over the loss of its two employees and pledging support for their families, colleagues and the broader Berea community.
What happened inside the bank
According to Kentucky State Police, a masked man walked into the U.S. Bank branch on Chestnut Street at approximately 2 p.m. Thursday and shot both employees before fleeing. The suspect, described as approximately 6 feet 3 inches tall and wearing a light-colored hooded sweatshirt, dark gloves, gray pants and light-colored athletic shoes, ran from the bank toward East Chestnut Street after the shooting. No customers were reported among the victims.
The manhunt
The search for the suspect quickly expanded across multiple jurisdictions. Authorities used FLOCK cameras, a license plate recognition system, to identify a silver BMW with Alabama license plates believed to be connected to the suspect. The vehicle had changed ownership more than once without updated registration, which slowed the identification process and complicated the initial stages of the search.
Troopers located the vehicle in Berea later Thursday afternoon and attempted a traffic stop. The suspect fled, triggering a pursuit that ended on Bryan Station Road in Fayette County when the vehicle struck a tree. The suspect abandoned the car and fled on foot. Law enforcement continued searching through the Johnston Road area near Paris Pike and Bryan Station Road in Lexington, as well as through portions of Stanford, Somerset and Rockcastle County.
By this morning, the Berea Police Department announced on its Facebook page that a person of interest had been apprehended near Interstate 64. The FBI has since taken over the investigation from Kentucky State Police. No charges had been publicly filed as of this morning, and the suspect had not been formally named by authorities.
A community in grief
Berea, a city of roughly 17,000 people located about 40 miles south of Lexington, found itself at the center of a tragedy that quickly drew a coordinated response from law enforcement agencies at every level. Kentucky State Police, the Lexington Police Department, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office and federal partners all contributed to the investigation and the pursuit that ended it.
Kentucky State Police Trooper Justin Kearney, who served as the primary public affairs voice throughout the night, credited the outcome to collaboration across agencies. The speed of the apprehension, less than 24 hours after the shooting, offered some measure of resolution, even as the community began processing what had been taken from it.
Anyone with additional information about the case is encouraged to contact Kentucky State Police Post 7 at 859-623-2404.