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A Kentucky man accused in a deadly bank robbery in Berea has been charged in federal court, according to federal court records filed after the attack and FBI statements made at a news conference. Authorities said the robbery took place Thursday at a U.S. Bank branch just before 2 p.m., and federal investigators tied it to a high-speed chase that ended near Lexington.
Federal investigators allege that Brailen Weaver entered the U.S. Bank branch in Berea and “immediately shot and killed a male victim,” according to an FBI affidavit filed in federal court Friday. The affidavit also says he then fatally shot a teller, checked multiple drawers in the bank, and fled before investigators could locate him.
At the FBI’s Friday news conference, Olivia Olson, special agent in charge of the Louisville FBI office, acknowledged that the immediate danger had ended but said the impact would continue for the community. “While there is no longer imminent danger, we understand that the tragedy is far from over for the community,” Olson said. She added: “The only solace that we can offer is that this individual, who valued a stolen dollar more than two human lives, will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.”
Federal court records say Weaver, 18, was charged with armed bank robbery and firearms offenses that caused death. Investigators said they had not publicly described whether any money was taken during the robbery.
The affidavit described how investigators identified and tracked the suspect. Authorities said surveillance footage showed a silver BMW sedan and that the vehicle was matched to a car for sale by Weaver on Facebook. Investigators also said they matched clothing from the suspect to photos Weaver posted on social media, and they said he continued posting online after the robbery.
According to the affidavit, the FBI located Weaver’s car on I-75 and pursued him at speeds over 100 mph Thursday night. The affidavit says Weaver exited the highway into Lexington, drove at speeds exceeding 130 mph before crashing the car and fleeing on foot.
Kentucky State Police Officer Justin Kearney said in a social media post Friday that a “person of interest believed to be involved in yesterday’s Berea bank robbery has been apprehended.” The affidavit, investigators said, had been written before Kearney’s post and therefore does not describe the arrest.
The Kentucky Attorney General’s office said it would pursue additional charges in state court. Russell Coleman announced Friday he would pursue state murder charges against Weaver, according to the federal reporting. A Lexington attorney identified in court records as Weaver’s representative, Rawl Kazee, did not immediately respond to a phone message later Friday morning.
Investigators and prosecutors also pointed to how unusual a fatal bank robbery is, even as armed robberies remain a concern. Jason Parman, first assistant U.S. attorney for the eastern half of Kentucky, said in his 18 years as a prosecutor he could not recall a death related to a bank robbery. Parman said it’s not uncommon for a bank robber to be armed and to threaten violence, but that deaths are uncommon in his experience.
FBI statistics cited in the reporting show bank robberies nationally declined from 5,546 in 2010 to 1,263 in 2023, a decrease of 77%. The reporting said there were no deaths associated with bank robberies in 2022 and 2023, based on the most recent year available in the FBI’s annual Bank Crime Statistics report.
Law enforcement responses in the immediate aftermath included searching neighborhoods and reviewing surveillance footage. The reporting said officials went door to door and used helicopters, drones and dogs, with the Lexington Police Department and county sheriff’s offices joining the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
The chase and manhunt also affected residents near the robbery site. Area schools went into lockdown for a period Thursday, state police said, and students were not allowed to go home on buses and had to be picked up by their parents.
U.S. Bank said it was working closely with law enforcement and supporting victims’ families and colleagues. In a statement Thursday, the company said it was “deeply saddened by the tragic event that took the lives of two of our employees at our Berea, Kentucky branch earlier today,” and that its “hearts go out to the families of the victims, our colleagues and the entire Berea community.” Berea is about 36 miles (58 kilometers) south of Lexington, and the bank branch is roughly a mile from Berea College’s campus dating back to the 1850s.