In 2003, North Richland Hills, Jeff Garner was a motorcycle officer on patrol. He stopped a white Jeep for traffic violations. Instead, a man fired several shots at Garner, hitting him in his leg. Garner returned fire, but the suspect was never caught.
Investigators said the man that shot Garner had just robbed the Bank One in nearby Watauga, Texas.
The case quickly went cold.
Detective Erik Whitlock was instrumental in reopening the case in 2015. He used newly available resources including DNA genealogy. And he also linked the suspect to 7 bank robberies between 1998 and 2003.
Wearing different mustaches and disguises, the suspect was captured on surveillance videos in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas. And the Cowboy Hat Bandit was wearing the same hat at each robbery.
In 2016, it became a multi-agency investigation. And the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations, as well as Dallas and Oklahoma City field offices of the FBI were all involved.
DNA and Ballistics unlock cold case in 2021
In December 2021, Long was identified as the suspect in the crimes.
