Tampa man who wanted to date teen daughter arrested after killing woman and injuring 2 family members
TAMPA, FLORIDA: A 42-year-old man shot and wounded his mother and teenage daughter and fatally wounded his mother’s friend after learning about the discussion between his mother and her friend to throw him out of the house because he wanted to date his teenage daughter. He also fired at a police officer
Following the shooting spree, Banks is now facing murder charges along with a criminal history, as per Law&Crime.
His charges include first-degree murder, two counts of attempted first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder of a law enforcement officer, and felon in possession of a firearm.
Police arrive at crime scene
According to official documents, on Wednesday night, January 17, at 12.42 am, law enforcement received 911 calls reporting a shooting incident on the 10000 block of N 23rd Street in Tampa.
One of the survivors, a 60-year-old mother, recounted that Banks had shot her and her friend. Upon arrival, officers discovered the woman and her 17-year-old granddaughter outside the residence.
Further investigation revealed a dead woman inside the home, having suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head.
The 60-year old woman disclosed that she and the now-deceased victim had been discussing the need to evict Banks from the home as he was "pursuing a romantic relationship" with his teenage daughter, as stated in the documents.
What did the survivors report?
As per the provided documents, the grandmother recounted hearing a gunshot and witnessed her friend falling to the floor while Banks stood over her, holding his gun.
Additionally, Banks' mother reported that he shot at her, grazing her in the head, before she managed to escape from the residence.
On the other hand, the teen daughter informed officers that she was in the shower when she heard gunshots.
She claimed to have tried to push the bathroom door closed, but Banks shot through the door at head level. As the teen attempted to flee, Banks shot her in the leg as per Fox13 news.
Michael Banks admits to killing woman and injuring his family members
During a post-Miranda interview, Banks admitted to writing a letter to the teen daughter, urging her to enter into a relationship with him and "not date anyone else".
He asserted that the mother and her friend were discussing leaving with the teenager, which left him feeling betrayed and upset.
Banks described going to his room, loading his muzzle-loader revolver—a process involving measuring gunpowder before pouring it into each of the six cylinders, pressing projectiles into each cylinder, and seating percussion caps for each cylinder.
Allegedly, Banks admitted to shooting the mother's friend in the head, aiming at the woman's head and upper torso in an attempt to kill her, and shooting the teenager through the bathroom door. After reloading, he stepped out through the back door.
According to the documents, "He heard police officers yelling commands at him and saw an officer in the front yard of his neighbor’s house through the chain link fence. The defendant said that he shot at the Officer twice. Shortly afterwards he put his gun on the kitchen table and surrendered."
Prosecutors claim that Banks purchased the gun from a sporting goods website a year prior, despite being a convicted felon.
He received a sentence of a year and a day in prison in 2007 for aggravated battery of a pregnant female and another five years in 2010 for simple battery as a second or subsequent offense.
