Russell "Slim Gray" Gibson (died January 8, 1935) was an American bank robber and Depression-era outlaw associated with

Alvin Karpis Alvin Francis Karpis (born Albin Francis Karpavičius; August 10, 1907 – August 26, 1979), a Depression-era gangster nicknamed "Creepy" for his sinister smile and called "Ray" by his gang members, was a Canadian-born (naturalized American) crim ...

and the

Barker Gang Kate Barker (born Arizona Donnie Clark; October 8, 1873 – January 16, 1935), better known as Ma Barker (and sometimes known as Arizona Barker and Arrie Barker), was the mother of several American criminals who ran the Barker–Karpis Gang ...

during the late 1920s and 1930s. Gibson spent much of his early criminal career with the Central Park Gang based in

Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

which included the Barkers, Volney Davis, Ray Terrill and other local criminal figures. He participated in his first major robbery when he teamed with Neal Merritt and James "Cowboy" Long to rob a bank messenger in

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

of $75,000. Gibson was arrested for this robbery, but escaped from county jail prior to his trial.Newton, Michael. ''The Encyclopedia of Robberies, Heists, and Capers''. New York: Facts On File Inc., 2002. (pg. 119-120) He later joined up with the Barker-Karpis gang and participated in numerous bank robberies with them. He, like the rest of the gang, was tracked down by the FBI during early 1935. Federal agents managed to trace him and his wife to a Chicago hideout used by the Barkers and raided the apartment building on January 8, 1935. The raid was bungled from the start as the FBI set off

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ...

in the wrong apartment causing a panic among the tenants. When local police officers arrived on the scene, they nearly opened fire on federal agents who they believed were gangsters. Hoping to escape in the confusion, Gibson attempted to make it to the

fire escape A fire escape is a special kind of emergency exit, usually mounted to the outside of a building or occasionally inside but separate from the main areas of the building. It provides a method of escape in the event of a fire or other emergency th ...

armed with a Browning automatic rifle and a .32 caliber pistol. FBI agents were waiting for Gibson however and opened fire. Although he was wearing a bulletproof vest, the agents' high-powered rifles killed him instantly.Breuer, William B. ''J. Edgar Hoover and his G-Men''. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 1995. (pg. 146) His wife was arrested on charges of harboring a fugitive; two other gang members, Byron Bolton and

Doc Barker Arthur R. "Doc" Barker (June 4, 1899 – January 13, 1939) was an American criminal, the son of Ma Barker and a member of the Barker-Karpis gang, founded by his brother Fred Barker and Alvin Karpis. Barker was typically called on for violent ac ...

, were also captured.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Russel Year of birth missing 1935 deaths American bank robbers Depression-era gangsters Criminals from Oklahoma Gangsters from Chicago Deaths by firearm in Illinois