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UPDATE: Man Detained in Cairo Robbery Identified, Charged With Firearm Possession

ISP

UPDATE: Police have identified and charged the man detained in connection to last night’s deadly bank robbery in downtown Cairo.

James Watts, 29, of Cairo has been charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. 

Around 9 p.m., a few hours after the robbery of First National Bank on Washington Ave. that left two bank employees dead and another critically injured, Watts was spotted driving a vehicle that belonged to one of the employees, leading police on a high-speed chase across town.

Watts fled the vehicle and was arrested on foot near a railroad trestle. Authorities found him in possession of a .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol.

Watts is currently in federal custody in the Williamson County detention center and wasn’t immediately accused of the holdup. 

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Multiple law enforcement organizations are investigating a bank robbery in Cairo, Ill. last night that resulted in at least two fatalities and a person in custody. 

Around 5:15 PM yesterday, a man entered the First National Bank in downtown Cairo with a knife and  handgun and demanded money.

During the incident, two bank employees were killed and a third critically injured. The injured employee was air-lifted to a hospital in Cape Girardeau and is currently undergoing treatment.

The Illinois State Police are being assisted by the FBI, who detained one person of interest a few hours after the incident, but are declining to release the name of the person or the injured employees at this time.

The investigation is ongoing; a portion of downtown Cairo is still closed to traffic.

Illinois State Police are expected to make a further statement later this afternoon. 

Rob Canning is a native of Murray, KY, a 2015 TV Production grad of Murray State. At MSU, he served as team captain of the Murray State Rowing Club. Rob's goal is to become a screenwriter, film director or producer and looks to the likes of Quentin Tarantino and Guy Ritchie for inspiration. He appreciates good music, mainly favoring British rock n' roll, and approves of anything with Jack White's name on it. When not studying, rowing or writing, Rob enjoys spending his free time with a book or guitar.
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