The wife of a security guard who was killed during a holdup at First Bank in East St. Louis in 2021 is suing the bank and the now-incarcerated robbers on wrongful death grounds.
Plaintiff Jana L. Horn filed the lawsuit July 11 in the St. Clair County Circuit Court. Her husband, Ted Horn, worked as a security guard at the bank on Aug. 27, 2021, when defendants Jaylan D. Quinn and Andrew R. Brinkley approached a bank teller in masks and unveiled a note that read, “I got a bomb strapped to my chest put all the money in or everyone die,” the lawsuit states.
Horn, who was in the bank manager’s office, later saw the masked robbers heading toward the door. He asked the robbers what they were doing, according to the complaint. Quinn drew a handgun and shot Horn in the head, even though the guard took no aggressive action against them, the lawsuit states.
According to a press release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Illinois. Quinn was wearing a black mask at the time of the shooting and fled in a white Lexus sedan.
The complaint is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 from the defendants. Authorities arrested Quinn and Brinkley the following day, and they are now serving sentences in federal prisons.
The lawsuit also accuses the bank, which is owned by Missouri-based FB Corp., of negligence and carelessness. The plaintiff alleges the bank is located in a high crime area, and bank officials should have taken additional actions to prevent robberies and to better train employees and agents.
“First Bank has no alert system to inform managers or security personnel like Mr. Horn that there was a robbery taking place, or that there was a security threat or a shooter present in the bank,” the lawsuit states. “Consequently, Mr. Horn had no warning of what he was walking into when he left the manager’s office just before he was shot and killed.”
Horn was employed by Securitas Security Services USA at the time and not by the bank, the complaint states. In his position, Horn was not allowed to draw his weapon, stop robbers or have conflicts with customers, according to the lawsuit.
According to Horn's obituary, he served as a security guard for First Bank for 11 years. He previously served for 14 years as a guard at the U.S. Attorney's Office in Fairview Heights.
"Ted enjoyed fishing with his sons, wood working and most of all spending time with his grand kids and family," the obituary states. "Ted was a very humble man, never wanted much, just to enjoy life. He lived believing you treat others the you want to be treated."