Al Brady
Al Brady | |
|---|---|
| Born | Alfred James Brady October 25, 1910 |
| Died | October 12, 1937 (aged 26) Bangor, Maine, U.S. |
| Criminal charge | Gangster, bank robber, murderer |
| Penalty | Prison escape |
Al Brady (October 25, 1910 – October 12, 1937) was an armed robber and murderer. He became one of the FBI's "Public Enemies" in the 1930s. He and a partner in crime were shot dead in an ambush by FBI agents in downtown Bangor, Maine in 1937.[1]
Biography
[change | change source]Al Brady was born in Indiana in 1910. Both his parents died while he was still young. At age 18, he committed his first robbery in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was shot and wounded. After getting out of jail, he got together with a gang. Using guns, they stole cars and robbed places in Indiana; mostly grocery stores. They murdered a 23-year-old Indianapolis store clerk. Then they killed an Indianapolis policeman. After probably killing another police officer, the gang was put in jail in 1936. Brady and some of the gang escaped from jail and robbed a bank in Goodland, Indiana. While running away, they killed one policeman and injured another.
Gun fight and death
[change | change source]Brady and his gang ended up hiding out in Bangor, Maine. They had about $5,000 left from their robberies. Brady thought Maine would be an easy place to get guns and ammunition without questions being asked. This was because there are many deer and bear hunters in the area.[1]
In Bangor, Brady began trying to buy automatic weapons at Dakin's Sporting Goods store, in downtown Bangor. On Sept. 21, 1937, Brady asked the owner, Everett Hurd, for 500 rounds of 30 calibre ammunition. Seeing a large amount of cash, the store owner became suspicious.[1] Hurd called the police after taking their order. He told them to return in a few weeks to pick up their guns.
Brady and his gang came back to the store on October 12, 1937. Many FBI agents were waiting in ambush, inside the store and across the street. One of the gang was caught by an FBI agent in the store. Brady and the other one drew their weapons in the street. They were shot down in a lot of gunfire.[2]
Brady was killed by FBI agent Walter Walsh. Walsh was wounded, and recovered. He lived to be the FBI's oldest retired Special Agent.
Pictures of the bodies lying dead in the middle of the downtown street became locally famous. For many years, they could be looked at in Dakin's store. In the pictures, a large crowd of people is shown. It was Columbus Day, so people were already lining the streets to see a parade before the shooting began.[1]
Burial
[change | change source]No one came to get Brady's body, because he did not have any family. He was buried in a grave without a headstone at Mount Hope Cemetery in Bangor.[1] In 2007, the grave was finally marked with a stone, with a short funeral.
References
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Nile, LeRoy A. (9 October 1966). "Fleeing the Withering Gunfire, Brady's Time Ran Out". The Greenville News, Greenville, SC. Associated Press correspondent. p. 3, Section 4.
- ↑ "The Brady Gang". FBI History: Famous Cases. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Archived from the original on 9 July 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.