Kentucky State Police identified the victims as Breanna Edwards and Brian Switzer as the search continued.
BEREA, Ky. — Two U.S. Bank employees were fatally shot Thursday afternoon during a robbery at a Berea branch, and Kentucky authorities searched into the night for an armed suspect who fled across central Kentucky, state police said.
Kentucky State Police identified the victims as Breanna Edwards, 35, of Madison County, and Brian Switzer, 42, of Jessamine County. Both worked at the U.S. Bank branch on Chestnut Street, where the robbery and shooting were reported just after 2 p.m. The suspect had not been publicly named by late Thursday. Police said he should be considered armed and dangerous as officers searched parts of Fayette County near Lexington.
The robbery began at the U.S. Bank on Chestnut Street in Berea, about 36 miles south of Lexington. State police said a man entered the branch wearing a light-colored hooded sweatshirt, dark gloves, gray sweatpants and light-colored athletic shoes. Trooper Scottie Pennington, a Kentucky State Police spokesperson, said the man shot a male employee and a female employee. “They’re our people that work in our community, and they’re no longer with us,” Pennington said at a briefing. He said investigators had leads and were working to bring the shooter into custody.
Authorities said members of the public were inside the bank when the robbery happened. Police have not said whether any customers were hurt. They also have not said whether the gunman took money from the branch. After the shooting, the suspect fled the area, setting off a search that drew Berea police, Kentucky State Police, the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, ATF and other agencies. Investigators released a photo of the suspect and described him as a tall male, about 6 feet 3 inches. Police said they were reviewing tips, surveillance video and information from license plate reader cameras as the search widened beyond Berea.
By Thursday evening, the search had moved through several parts of central Kentucky. State police said officers tracked a silver BMW with Alabama plates after the vehicle was seen in Berea. Authorities tried to stop it, but the driver fled, leading police on a chase that ended in Fayette County when the car crashed into a tree. Police said the suspect then ran from the vehicle. A large law enforcement presence gathered near Johnston Road, Bryan Station Road and Paris Pike in Lexington. State police also said an earlier police scene in Stanford was tied to the investigation. Other areas mentioned during the search included Somerset and Rockcastle County.
The shooting disrupted schools and campuses in and around Berea as police searched for the gunman. Berea College was placed on lockdown for part of the afternoon before the lockdown was lifted, a college spokesperson said. Madison County Schools said buses in the Berea area were held while police worked the scene. The Berea Independent School District also delayed dismissal until officials said it was safe for buses and car riders to travel. Pennington said law enforcement officers went door to door looking for information and surveillance video. He said helicopters, drones and dogs were also used in the search.
U.S. Bank said it was working with law enforcement and supporting the victims’ families and bank employees after the shooting. The company said it was “deeply saddened” by the deaths of Edwards and Switzer and said its thoughts were with their families, colleagues and the Berea community. Police did not release full details of what happened inside the branch before the gunfire. Investigators also did not say whether the suspect knew the victims or had any past link to the bank. State police said the case remained active and that officers were still trying to confirm the suspect’s path after leaving Berea.
No arrest had been announced in the first public updates after the shooting. The next major steps are expected to include the suspect’s identification, an arrest or further police update, and the filing of charges once investigators determine who carried out the robbery and killings.
Author note: Last updated April 30, 2026.