Armed robbers hit Calvert funeral home, bank

Why try to rob a funeral home? Here's a possible explanation out of Calvert County in Maryland from Monday, where two men apparently attempted to hold up Lee Funeral Home, in Owings.

"We believe that they thought it was a bank," said Lt. Steve Jones, commander of the Calvert Investigative Team.

Employees at Lee appear to have tried to set them straight.

"You're not in a bank," one of them said, according to Jones.

Police said the bandits assaulted a Lee employee, whose injuries were not considered life threatening. The suspects fled the business around noon, police said. Lee sits next to a branch of PNC Bank, so perhaps that's what tripped them up.

Authorities believe the pair then hit a real bank -- a SunTrust branch in nearby Dunkirk. At least one was armed with a handgun. They left the bank with cash.

Outside, a citizen was trying to get a look at them, and one of the suspects fired off a round. "They took notice of it, obviously," Jones said.

The citizen wasn't hit. As of 4:45 p.m., Jones said, investigators didn't have a solid description of either suspect. They wore hooded jackets and may have had something covering their faces, Jones said. They were believed to have fled in a silver vehicle.

The assault and robbery put the Northern part of Calvert on high alert. Four schools were put on partial lockdown status for a time. Investigators ask anyone with information to call 410-535-2800.

This post has been updated from earlier today.

-- Dan Morse