Robbery Antidepressants 09/04/1999 Utah Bank Robbery Suspect Killed by Police Summary:

Paragraphs 10 & 11 read: "He apparently began a downward spiral in 1990 when the music group he performed in disbanded, according to his brother, Sam Cosby . His depression intensified with his divorce and, in 1997, the death of their mother."

" Grant said Demetrius Cosby took antidepressants and had made monthly visits to Valley Mental Health for counseling for the past four years."

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Friday, April 9, 1999
Deseret News
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Edition: All
Page: B07

Suspect in bank heists identified
Sister questions why police didn't just wound him

By Jenifer K. Nii Deseret News staff writer

The bank robbery suspect killed by police Wednesday as he tried to escape on a busy Central City street has been identified as Demetrius Tyrone Cosby .
    Cosby , 30, was killed after he robbed two banks on 400 South using what appeared to be a shotgun, Salt Lake Police Lt. Phil Kirk said.Police responded to the scene of the first robbery at a Key Bank, 410 E. 400 South, just after 4 p.m. Wednesday. They ordered Cosby to stop and drop his weapon, but he ignored their request, Kirk said. Instead, Cosby ran to a nearby Washington Mutual Bank, which he also robbed at gunpoint. Officers fired at Cosby as he entered the building, shattering the front glass doors.
    Undeterred, Cosby "went so far as to look through the money to check for dye bags," Kirk said.
    Cosby came back out through the front doors and proceeded to walk quickly west on 400 South. Officers followed, continuing their order for him to stop, Kirk said. Cosby kept walking.
    The officers apparently decided to fire after they saw Cosby crossing the street, waving his weapon at passing cars.
    "He appeared to be trying to wave cars down," Kirk said. "The officers were worried about a possible carjacking or hostage situation. It was obvious from his actions that he was not going to stop. He had already robbed two banks at gunpoint, one under officers' gunfire. Their concern for the (motorists') safety led them to use their weapons."
    Salt Lake Police Sgt. Jerry Mendez said officers warned Cosby at least half a dozen times to stop and drop his weapon. "He had ample opportunity to surrender," he said.
Eyewitnesses recalled hearing three shots and seeing Cosby fall face first on the pavement. One of the bullets apparently passed through Cosby's body, striking the window of a nearby law office, 333 E. 400 South. The bullet struck David Mills in the lower abdomen, and Earl Hines was hit in the eye with flying glass. Both were treated at local hospitals and later released.
    Candace Grant questions why her brother was killed. "Why couldn't they have just shot at his legs?"
    Grant said her brother had attended church regularly and was a member of the choir. Their mother is the late Rosemary "Mama" Cosby , founder of the Pentecostal Faith Temple church in Salt Lake City.
    Grant said her brother had at least one nervous breakdown in recent years. He apparently began a downward spiral in 1990 when the music group he performed in disbanded, according to his brother, Sam Cosby . His depression intensified with his divorce and, in 1997, the death of their mother.
    Grant said Demetrius Cosby took antidepressants and had made monthly visits to Valley Mental Health for counseling for the past four years.
    Cosby was pronounced dead just after 5 p.m. at LDS Hospital, said hospital spokesman Jess Gomez. A sometime resident of Salt Lake City, Cosby had a history of drug possession and theft and had an outstanding arrest warrant for theft of services, Kirk said.
    The "shotgun" he used to commit the robberies turned out to be a lever-action BB gun with a modified muzzle.
   Cosby apparently spent the day casing various banks before deciding on Key Bank, Kirk said. A teller at Key Bank remembered seeing Cosby about 11 a.m., and another teller at Utah Oil Credit Union, 330 E. 400 South, told police Cosby was casing their bank about 12:30 p.m. He left after seeing the teller "make a motion to activate the robbery alarm," Kirk said.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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