Colleague may have accidentally killed FBI agent

An FBI agent fatally wounded Thursday while attempting to apprehend suspected bank robbers in Readington may have been shot by a fellow agent. The FBI said 52-year-old Special Agent Barry Lee Bush was

News 12 Staff

Apr 6, 2007, 3:18 AM

Updated 6,368 days ago

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An FBI agent fatally wounded Thursday while attempting to apprehend suspected bank robbers in Readington may have been shot by a fellow agent.
The FBI said 52-year-old Special Agent Barry Lee Bush was part of a special bank robbery unit that was staking out the PNC bank on Route 22 West. When the agents circled the three suspects and attempted to arrest them, Bush was shot. Officials said Bush was brought to University Hospital in Newark, where he later died. Tragically, officials said, it seems the suspects did not fire the fatal shot.
In a statement, the FBI said, "Preliminarily, information suggests the agent may have been fatally wounded as a result of the accidental discharge of another agent's weapon during a dynamic arrest situation."
FBI Special Agent in Charge Pedro Ruiz said, despite earlier reports, the three suspects had not yet robbed the bank, nor did they fire at the agents.
Ruiz said two of the suspects, Wilfredo Berrios, 28, and Michael Cruz, 21, both of New Brunswick, were detained on the spot, but a third escaped on foot. Ruiz said the third, Francisco Herrera-Genao, 22, also of New Brunswick, ran into a wooded area near the Fox Hollow Golf Course. The New Jersey State Police Department is administering a manhunt to capture Herrera-Genao, who Ruiz said is considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with information regarding the suspect's whereabouts is asked to call the FBI Tip Line at 973-792-300. Ruiz said anyone with information could also contact state or local authorities to pass a tip along.
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.
Related Information: FBI agent killed in Readington bank robbery shootout