Back in January, a robber burst into the Alpine Bank in Rockford, Illinois with a gun and fired a shot into the ceiling, before firing another at Metro Enforcement security officer Brian Harrison.
Harrison, a former Winnebago County deputy, drew his sidearm and shot and killed the masked robber, later identified as Laurence Turner, before he could shoot again. This week it was announced that Harrison won't face any charges as a result of the shooting and that he was acting in self defense-and in the defense of others in the bank, according to this story from wifr.com.
"There is no doubt in my mind the actions of Brian Harrison saved the lives of those that were employees in the Alpine Bank location on that date, and saved his own life." said Joe Bruscato, the Winnebago County State's Attorney, in the story.
In the security video of the robber above, we see Turner approach the front door of the bank and burst in, firing at least one shot into the ceiling, before pointing the gun at Harrison. The two exchange gunfire, with Turner almost immediately falling behind the counter and Harrison continuing to fire over a half-door divider. You can see gases rising from Turner's pistol as he continues to fire from the floor.
The robber gets back to his feet and attempts to flee, but collapses before exiting the bank's second set of doors. Harrison then approaches the suspect and secures him while the bank employees crawl out from under their desks where they hid during the shootout.
Police say Turner was on drugs at the time of the robbery and was hit twice by Harrison, who fired numerous shots at him. Turner died at the scene.
“They are taught generally to shoot center mass in the body. This is a very dynamic, fluid situation and he’s doing what he was trained for 30 years to do and it was eliminate and take care of the threat,” said Rockford Police Chief Dan O’Shea in the story.
Police have linked Turner to three other armed robberies committed in November and December of 2016 at Mincemoyer Jewelers, Harvard State Bank, and Members Alliance Credit Union, the story says.
What’s truly remarkable to see in the video above is just how quickly the situation changes from a casual, normal day, with co-workers chit-chatting, to a life-and-death shootout. Luckily, Harrison was well trained and ready.
