Police kill Iraq veteran who held up bank to demand VA disability payment
By
Eric London
8 July 2017
Police in Marietta, Georgia shot and killed Brian Easley, a 33-year-old Iraq war veteran, Friday after he held up a Wells Fargo bank in an act of desperation.
Easley walked in to the bank at roughly 9:30 a.m. when the bank was empty. He took two bank employees hostage, both of whom said Easley was “kind” and “very respectful.”
Once inside, Easley then called a local ABC news affiliate to list his demand: “$892.” The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) had arbitrarily cut his disability payment, which he wanted back. He was about to become homeless and had run out of money.
Easley claimed he had explosives in his backpack, though police have not stated whether any explosives were found. A search of the hotel where Easley was staying turned up no explosives.
He spent an hour on the phone with an ABC news receptionist. He put both employees on the phone to confirm that they were unharmed. The conversation that ensued was recorded.
The young veteran had an eight-year-old daughter. He explained that he spent two tours in the Iraq war with the Marines, but that the VA had recently decided to cut his disability payments. He feared he could not care for his child.
“I have nothing,” he told the receptionist. “I’m homeless because I don’t have any money and I want my money back.”
After four years in the military, Easley explained that he moved back in with his parents in Georgia. “I went back to a warehouse job for a little while and I went to school for a bit. I even went back to film school for a bit.”
He was not able to make ends meet, but was careful to explain that he was not robbing the bank: “I just want my money back. I’m not a thief. I haven’t…