More than $80,000 raised for families of victims killed in Berea bank robbery
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Online GoFundMe pages raised over $22,000 for Breanna Edwards by Monday.
- GoFundMe pages raised more than $63,000 for Brian Switzer as of Monday.
- Brailen Weaver is federally charged with armed bank robbery and related firearm offenses.
Two online fundraisers have raised tens of thousands of dollars for the workers who died in a shooting at the U.S. Bank in Berea last Thursday.
The fundraisers on GoFundMe were created for the families of Breanna Edwards, 35, of Madison County, and Brian Switzer, 42, of Jessamine County, who died in the shooting at the bank on Chestnut Street. They were both working when Brailen Weaver, 18, entered the building and shot Switzer before shooting Edwards shortly afterward.
Weaver is federally charged with armed bank robbery, use or discharge of a firearm in a crime of violence and causing death with a firearm in the course of a violent crime from the robbery alone. Attorney General Russell Coleman said he plans to pursue state murder charges against Weaver too.
$85K raised for the families
As of 11 a.m. Monday, Edwards’ GoFundMe had raised more than $22,000 while Switzer’s GoFundMe had raised more than $63,000.
Edwards owned a photography company called wildflower & whimsy photography. Her husband, Sam Edwards, said she loved photography and was dedicated to her customers.
“Breanna loved having her camera in her hand,” Sam Edwards said on wildflower & whimsy photography’s Facebook page. “She radiated light and joy, and was thrilled at every opportunity she had to use her art to help people see the beauty she saw in them.”
Overflow Coffee Co., a coffee shop in Berea, said Edwards was a loyal customer at the shop. The coffee shop described Edwards as “a literal ray of sunshine” in a Facebook post.
“She was kind, thoughtful, and so encouraging to me in my early days of business,” the coffee shop said in the post. “She is truly someone who impacted me in a huge way.”
Switzer had a wife and three children, according to his GoFundMe webpage. His obituary says the greatest joy in his life was his family.
“Shortly before his death he told his wife how sad it was to watch their children grow up but how exciting it was to see who they were growing into,” his obituary said.
Switzer was also an avid sports fan, and enjoyed meeting new people and helping people with their businesses, according to his obituary. He was a member of Mt. Hebron Baptist Church, where he helped with many programs.
