Bank Robber Killed In Exchange Of Gunfire With Officers

The man who was shot and killed after robbing a Compass Bank branch on Saturday has been identified as Mario Garnett, who is accused of robbing banks in Georgia and Mississippi , and in 2010, making a threat against President Obama. Phoenix police officer James Holmes says the FBI had been tipped off about Garnett’s method of operation.

“He used a small piece of wood in an effort to somehow, I mean almost make a wedge to keep the door from coming open,” Holmes said. “Obviously it didn’t work. That was a part of the modus operandi that the FBI picked up on right away.”

Holmes says a woman who walked in on the robbery was able to escape the bank and call 9-1-1 for help. When Garnett came out of the bank, a police officer was pulling up. The suspect was killed in an exchange of gunfire with officers. Holmes says Garnett was wanted for bank robberies in Atlanta and Tupelo , Mississippi , and for killing an officer in Tupelo .