Special Agent Barry Lee Bush

Barry Lee Bush

Special Agent Barry Bush was shot and killed by another agent while he and other agents conducted surveillance on a group of three suspects wanted for robbing several banks in central New Jersey.

On April 5th, FBI agents followed the suspected robbers to an area around Readington Township, New Jersey, where the robbers were casing several banks. As two of the robbers pulled into a PNC Bank parking lot in a vehicle stolen earlier that morning, a third robber parked his vehicle across the street from the PNC Bank and acted as a lookout.

As FBI SWAT team members converged on the stolen vehicle at the PNC Bank, Special Agent Bush and his team were advised to arrest the lookout across the street from the PNC Bank. Special Agent Bush's vehicle arrived at the lookout vehicle and he positioned it pointing at the passenger's side of the lookout vehicle. FBI SWAT team members also arrived at the location and as Special Agent Bush began to exit his vehicle, a FBI SWAT team member, believing Special Agent Bush was a robber, fired three times, striking Special Agent Bush once in the right shoulder and mortally wounding him.

Two of the suspects were apprehended immediately, and the third was apprehended the next day.

Special Agent Bush had served with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for 20 years. He is survived by his wife and two children.

To honor his memory, the Newark FBI Field Division renamed its building after him in April 2008.