Friendly Fire May Have Killed FBI Agent

FBI: Another Agent May Have Fired Fatal Shots At Bank Stakeout; Missing Suspect Caught

(CBS/AP) 
"Just shoot me. Just kill me," a shoeless, shirtless Francisco Herrera-Genao told the trooper, who approached the suspect with his gun drawn, State Police Superintendent Rick Fuentes said.

Authorities believe Herrera-Genao, who was covered in mud and twigs when found, spent the night hiding in the woods. Following the tip, police used a canine unit to track the suspect and "flushed him out of the woods into the waiting arms of police," Lewis said.

He said Herrera-Genao surrendered without incident, wearing only a T-shirt and a pair of sweat pants; he was not wearing shoes or other clothing.

"He was pretty cold, and I'm sure that had something to do with it," Lewis said of Herrera-Genao's compliant surrender.

Herrera-Genao was initially taken to a nearby state police barracks, then placed in a caravan of law enforcement vehicles and moved to FBI headquarters in Newark, where he was to be questioned.

The dead agent, Barry Lee Bush, 52, had been assigned to the FBI's Newark office and had been searching for suspects believed to be responsible for at least four bank robberies, the FBI said.

In three of the robberies, shots were fired. Recently, law enforcement sources say, the suspects brought more than 100 rounds of ammunition for AK-47 assault rifles and a .38 caliber handgun, Orr reported.

Pedro Ruiz, special agent in charge of the FBI's Newark office, said the suspects captured Thursday had two assault rifles and a handgun with them but didn't fire when Bush and the other agents confronted them outside a PNC Bank branch.

Investigators from the agency's Inspection Division have been assigned to investigate the shooting, the FBI said. Ruiz said he did not yet know how many shots were fired and would not elaborate on what led the agents to shoot.

The men arrested outside the Readington bank in north-central New Jersey were identified as Wilfredo Berrios, 28, and Michael Cruz, 21, both of New Brunswick. Both were to be charged with attempted armed robbery, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Newark said.

The FBI had started investigating Berrios, Cruz and Herrera-Genao after a March 2 bank robbery. A surveillance camera at a shopping center caught the masked gunmen abandoning a stolen Honda they had used in the robbery and getting into their "switch car," a rental vehicle that was traced to Berrios, according to the criminal complaint released by the U.S. Attorney's Office.

After his arrest, Cruz said the men were preparing to rob the Readington bank, according to the complaint. Cruz also said he, Berrios, Herrera-Genao and Efrain Lynn, 21, of New Brunswick, had robbed a bank in South Brunswick on March 16, the complaint said.

Lynn was arrested Thursday on a warrant unrelated to the bank robberies, federal prosecutors said.

It was not immediately clear if the men had attorneys who could comment. Telephone listings for the men could not be located.

Witnesses in Readington described a chaotic scene as the gunfire broke out Thursday.

Brian Agans, who works in an engine shop across from the bank, said he heard a "pop, pop, pop." He ran outside to make sure a mechanic wasn't having a problem with equipment, but instead saw law enforcement swarming.

"All hell was breaking loose. I've never seen so many police and authorities take action ever in my life," he said.

Bush joined the FBI in August of 1987, serving in Kansas City and transferring to Newark in 1991. He is survived by a wife and two grown children, the FBI said.

[tucano2]

I must admit there was a crowd rejoicing around a newstand yelling Bush has been shot dead - it was friendly fire - at last someone on the secret service got in close and did a good job. When the error was discovered the crowd diminished quickly hoping for better luck in future

[tucano2]

This is the result of recruiting from
gangbangers on the street-not one knows
how to shoot straight. The bangers are constantly
blowing the head off some 4-year-old a block away
from the intended victim. Now we have them in the FIB and another has been blown away. These idiots are copies of Fearless Fosdick.

[cbs_oliver]

This is the best coverage of this story. Over at CNN.com they have the accussed having completed robbing the Readington Bank using weapons.

This story shows that even when the events in the story take place right around the corner and in friendly and safe territory the news media cannot seem to ask the right people the right questions and get clear answers and avoid making the wrong judgements about the events when they report the story.

In short - they are generally willfully incompetent.

Except, in this case, CBS seems to be doing well.

I'd still like to know - more clearly than the reporting so far indicates - which if any of these guys actually had a gun within easy reach when the shooting was started or whether they were basically unarmed. The studied ambiguity of the FBI statements regarding this aspect which have been reported leads me to suspect that the FBI are avoiding clear communications on this matter and it may very well be that the suspects were unarmed at the time of the shooting.

[retmilspouse]

What?

[mainemade]

OOPS!

[zootallures2]

Floride in the water?
Global Warming?
The Jews?
The Muslims?

You're gonna have to face it you're addicted to death.

[gunownerdan]

When only the police can have guns, it's called a POLICE STATE.
Civilians can shoot better anyways.
Self Defense: A HUMAN RIGHT!
a-human-right.com

[feelfree1]

Cool wit, Iceman_1960,

Re: "If you accuse me of that again, so help me I'll disable your PUBLISH button for 5 minutes."

Good show!

[fascistusa]

America can be divided into different groups:

Inner Party

Fascist Clones who follow Mainstream Media/Mainstream History

Outer Party

Fascist Clones who follow Mainstream Media/Mainstream History

The Proles (Sheeple) aka Morons

The Rest of Us

Those capable of actual thought. Labeled Liberals, Conspiracy Theorists, Commies, America Haters, ect.

So the question is... which one are YOU??

[middleman8]

THEY GOT THE WRONG BUSH.

[mwcinin]

Boy, the conspiracy theorists are out in full force today. Mel Gibson would be proud!

[truthword]

Those aren't police, those are paramilitary troops! This country used to have laws against the militarization of the police, these laws are there for a reason people, to protect us from militarized police. They're setting up the worst police state dictatorship in the history of mankind right here in the USA.

[iceman_1960]

retmilspouse,

I did not say anything disrespectful about the fallen FBI agent.

If you accuse me of that again, so help me I'll disable your PUBLISH button for 5 minutes.