Security camera still of the 'Cowboy hat bandit' in Texas  
Mark Alan Long pictured robbing some of the banks across Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas from 1998 to 2003

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas - The man who robbed a bank in Watauga and shot a North Richland Hills officer 19 years ago has finally been identified, police said.

Officer Jeff Garner was shot in March of 2003 while attempting to pull over a speeding driver. It turns out, the gunman had just robbed a bank in nearby Watauga.

The case went cold for many years.

North Richland Hills police said in 2015, Det. Erik Whitlock was assigned to the case and was able to link the suspect to seven other bank robberies between 1998 and 2003.

In 2018, police pulled DNA from evidence in the case, but they couldn’t find a match in any databases.

And in 2020, police released images from a camera inside the bank, as well as forensic renderings of what the suspect may have looked like in 2003.

 


They didn’t get a break until 2021 when a genetic DNA database finally provided a clue.

Mark Alan Long of Oklahoma was identified as the suspect based on shared DNA.

North Richland Hills police said undercover detectives traveled to Oklahoma in April and collected DNA that Long discarded at a restaurant. They got a positive match to the evidence from three of the bank robberies.

Officers who searched Long’s home found a vehicle that matched the description of the one used in the Watauga bank robbery and a revolver that matched the one used to shoot Officer Garner.

Long was found dead beneath a cellphone tower in Oklahoma City as officers were trying to arrest him for robbery and the attempted capital murder of a peace officer.

Police believe he committed suicide but said a medical examiner in Oklahoma will make the final ruling on his cause of death.

"This case is an outstanding example of authentic dedication to seeking justice. Det. Whitlock worked tirelessly and passionately to put together all the pieces of this case and bring a resolution for Captain Jeff Garner," said North Richland Hills Police Chief Jimmy Perdue. 

Garner is now a captain with the North Richland Hills Police Department.