Hampton police ID bank robbery suspect who killed himself

Police today identified a bank robbery suspect who killed himself after briefly holding a hostage Monday morning.

The man was Lawrie Griffin Tyler, 35, who had no permanent address, police said.

The incident began, police said, when a man walked into a Wachovia Bank in the 2300 block of W. Mercury Blvd. at 9:53 a.m.

The man pulled out a shotgun and demanded money, police said. When a bank employee handed over an undisclosed amount, he left the bank and climbed into a waiting blue taxi driven by another man, police said.

As officers arrived in the area they spotted the taxi pulling to the side of the road in the 1700 block of Todds Lane.

As officers swarmed toward the taxi, the suspect placed the shotgun against the taxi driver’s head, police said.

One officer fired at the suspect to stop him from shooting the driver. The officer’s shot hit the rear of the cab.

Then, police said, the suspect turned the shotgun on himself. He was declared dead at the scene.

No officers were injured.

The officer who fired the shot has been with the Hampton Police Department for four years, police said. She was placed on administrative leave Monday, standard procedure after any officer-involved shooting, but is now back on duty, police said today.

The cab driver was not injured and does not appear to have taken part in the robbery, Hampton police spokesman Cpl. James West said.

What are people saying about mortgages today:

Rates on 30-year mortgages edged down last week to a seven-month low. Mortgage-giant Freddie Mac reported Thursday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages fell to 6.3 percent, down slightly from 6.31 percent two weeks ago. It put rates at the lowest level since they were at 6.24 percent the first week of March.

Bank of Hawaii, Central Pacific Bank, Territorial Savings Bank and Wells Fargo Home Mortgages all cut their 30-year mortgage rates to 5.75 percent this week.

Most people think of a mortgage as a means to an end. After all, you buy a house, not a home loan. But a mortgage is much more than the path to homeownership. It is a financial instrument that must be managed, just like any other financial investment.