Hostage shot by police nine times during bank robbery files lawsuit

A woman taken hostage during a deadly bank robbery filed a lawsuit against a law enforcement agency for more than $75,000 after being injured.

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Officers shot Julie Huff nine times while trying to take down Cedric Norris. Norris was supposed to be in prison in Texas when he robbed the Bank of Eufaula.

Norris walked into the bank and shot and killed Randy Peterson. He shot another employee and then took Huff, who had been in the bank as a customer, as his hostage.

Her attorneys say the gunfire from police left her disabled, unable to work and feeling that her quality of life had decreased.

KOKI-TV tried to contact the defendants listed in the two lawsuits. Some have not returned calls, while others were advised not to comment on the pending litigation.

Her attorneys sent the following statement:

Julie Huff was an innocent customer at the Bank of Eufaula when she was taken hostage. The Bank failed have proper security measures in place which caused her to be taken hostage and then severely injured. The Bank had multiple, unmonitored entrances and exits which encouraged this armed robbery. The Bank also failed to have an armed security guard which is in violation of proper banking standards. Further, the Law Enforcement officers knew Ms. Huff was an innocent hostage yet they deliberately shot her nine (9) times. Not one of the nine (9) bullets which hit Ms. Huff came from the kidnapper. All the bullets came from the law enforcement officers—one of whom shot her with an AR15. She was severely injured and has undergone many surgeries. Ms. Huff feels very lucky to be alive, but she has been permanently scarred and injured as a result of the failures of the Bank of Eufaula and the reckless and careless actions of law enforcement.

Cox Media Group