As authorities continue a nationwide manhunt for a suspected cop killer,
law enforcement officials have revealed that the suspected killer and
bank robber had attempted a previous bank robbery just before the deadly
attack.
Just hours before the suspect robbed a bank and shot two police officers
in Tupelo, Miss., authorities say he attempted another robbery in
Atlanta, nearly 300 miles away. According to officials, after trying to
unsuccessfully rob a Bank of America with a gun, the suspect then walked
outside and mugged a person at the ATM.
FBI Special Agent Steve Emmett told reporters the security camera images
of the suspect in Atlanta were similar to those in Tupelo.
"Same individual, same day, it's a violent robbery," said Emmett.
On Dec. 23 Officer Gale Stauffer and a second officer were shot when
they confronted the alleged robbers at a railroad crossing as they made
their escape. Stauffer died of his injuries and the other officer
remains in the hospital in serious condition.
The FBI and local police have launched a nationwide dragnet to find
unknown suspects, and according to ABC News affiliate station WAPT a
reward of $200,000 has been offered
to anyone with information leading to the arrest of the suspects.
Police are not even sure how many suspects they're looking for, and are
hoping that someone saw something in the bloody aftermath of that bank
robbery -- or took a cellphone photo -- something that just might help
investigators.
Earlier this week residents in Tupelo, Miss., held a candlelight vigil for Officer Gale Stauffer.
Flags were lowered to half-staff in memory of officer Stauffer, an army
veteran of the Iraq War, and father of two young children.
"I'm at peace knowing Gale died doing what he loved," said his wife Beth Stauffer.
A funeral service for Stauffer took place on Friday. Stauffer's mother,
Debbie Brangenberg, acknowledged those who came to remember her son.
"The overwhelming love and support that this community has given us has helped us make it through," she said.
Vigil Held as Manhunt Goes Nationwide
Stauffer was a combat veteran of the Louisiana Army National Guard, and
he had served with the Tupelo Police Department for eight years,
according to the Officer Down Memorial Page.
As the officers approached suspects in a vehicle, which was stuck in
traffic at a railroad crossing, at least one of the suspects opened fire
at close range, according to an account posted online at the Officer
Down Memorial Page.
After reviewing bank surveillance video from the robbery of a
BancorpSouth bank in Tupelo, authorities are looking for a thin,
possibly African-American man with a light complexion, standing between
5-feet-9 and 6-feet tall, according to the Mississippi Department of
Public Safety.
The suspect seen in the surveillance video was wearing khaki or
cargo-style pants, white Converse tennis shoes, a long-sleeved jacket
and a blue ski mask, the state public safety department said. A
charcoal-colored, medium-size sedan might have been used as a getaway
car.
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