Survivor Reflects On 2004 Tulsa Bank Robbery

The hectic scene where the chase and shoot out with Cedric Norris ended doesn't even begin to capture the chaos and terror bank employees felt inside the Bank of Eufaula.

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The FBI says Bank President Randy Peterson was shot first and his assistant was shot next.

It's a very familiar situation to First National Bank’s Broken Arrow President Mark Poole.

"Just brings it back, like it was yesterday like it was this morning," he said.

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Poole was inside First Fidelity Bank in Tulsa on June 22, 2004, when four men wearing masks and carrying guns burst inside.

He says they told him to open the safe, but he couldn't because it was on a time delay.

That's when bullets started flying.

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"I was shot through the arm, went through my chest, and I still have a bullet in my hip today. I was also shot in the leg," said Poole.

He was left lying on the ground. His Bank Teller, Amber Rogers, was gunned down even though she handed money over to the robbers. She died later that day.

Poole can understand the terror and fear going through employees and customers minds at Bank of Eufaula, better than anyone.

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"You'll never recover; you will never forget what happened that day,” he said. “You will always relive it in certain circumstances. You have reminders every single day.”

Poole says as a bank president you always feel it's your responsibility to protect those who work inside your bank.

Poole believes Peterson was likely doing just that when he was shot and killed.

"Did you ever think that maybe you wouldn't be here today? Many times," he added.

Poole believes the right security measures help prevent the most bank robberies.

He says it’s important for bank employees to always cooperate with robbers, and thinks real-life training scenarios are crucial for all bank employees to go through.