Mesquite bank robber shoots self after traffic stop, police say

By Jackie Valley

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2012 | 2:25 p.m.

A Mesquite bank robber who committed suicide Tuesday on Interstate 15 had been listed as a missing and endangered person in police databases, authorities said.

At about 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, a man walked into a Nevada Bank and Trust in Mesquite and handed tellers a note alleging he had a gun and a bomb, said Jeffrey Smith, public information officer for the Mesquite Police Department.

The suspect ran north to an apartment complex after a teller handed him about $2,800, Smith said. He got into a vehicle and left the area, he said.

A witness gave police a description of the suspect’s vehicle, setting off a regional search, Smith said.

Less than an hour later, an officer with the Arizona Department of Public Safety recognized the vehicle on Interstate 15 and initiated a traffic stop, Smith said.

The driver — identified as 43-year-old Troy Eugene Williams of Florida — fatally shot himself in the head as the officer approached, Smith said. He was pronounced dead at the scene and was confirmed to be the bank robber, he said.

Authorities closed a stretch of the highway just over the state line in Arizona as they investigated, Smith said. The highway has since reopened.