The police murder of Iraq War veteran Brian Easley
10 July 2017
On the morning of July 7, 33-year-old Iraq War veteran Brian Easley walked into a Wells Fargo bank in Cobb County, Georgia, an Atlanta suburb, and told the only two people there—both bank employees—that he had explosives in his backpack and was holding them hostage.
He called a local television station and, in a calm voice, explained that he was not robbing the bank. He said he had one demand: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) had unjustly eliminated $892 in monthly payments for an injury he sustained in Iraq, and he wanted the funds reinstated.
He pleaded, “They took my disability check and I have nothing and I’ll be out on the street and I won’t have any money for food or anything, and I’m going to starve.” He was particularly worried about the fate of his eight-year-old daughter.
Meanwhile, police in assault gear massed outside. The area was placed on lockdown and armored military vehicles were brought in to encircle the bank. An FBI negotiator called the bank and Easley repeated his demand: $892.
It was clear to all involved, including the hostages themselves, that Easley posed no threat to anybody. In the phone call with WSB-TV, Easley said he was not going to hurt either of the employees. “These ladies are very nice and they have been very helpful and supportive,” he said.
The hostages told the press that Easley was “kind” and “respectful.” According to a local newspaper, a police spokesman let slip that “no one inside or outside the bank was ever at risk of being harmed.”
That did not prevent a SWAT team from using an armored vehicle to burst through the bank’s wall and riddle the young man’s body with bullets. Police later confirmed what was already clear from the phone…