TAMPA, FL – A Florida resident with a history of violence is in custody after a horrifying incident that left a woman dead, two others injured, and police officers under fire, authorities said Wednesday.
Michael Banks, 42, was arrested following a tense standoff with Tampa police. According to Police Chief Lee Bercaw and Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez, officers were dispatched to a residence on 23rd Street in Tampa after receiving reports of gunshots. Upon arrival, a woman and a young girl fled the house, screaming for assistance.
Banks allegedly opened fire on the officers, who retaliated and managed to apprehend him without any injuries. “Our officers bravely ran into danger and stopped the threat and prevented anyone else from becoming a victim,” Bercaw said.
Once inside the house, officers discovered another woman who had been fatally shot. The motive behind Banks’ violent outbreak was revealed Thursday when prosecutors stated that he had overheard his mother and another woman planning to evict him from the house. This was due to their discovery of his attempts to initiate a romantic relationship with his teenage daughter.
Banks reportedly reacted violently to the perceived betrayal, shooting and killing an unidentified woman in the house. He also fired at his mother, grazing her head, and shot his daughter in the leg through a bathroom door.
Further investigation revealed that Banks had written a love letter to his daughter, urging her to enter into a relationship with him exclusively. He now faces charges of first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree attempted murder, attempted murder of a law enforcement official, and illegal possession of a firearm as a felon. Banks, previously convicted for aggravated battery against a pregnant woman in 2007, is currently being held without bond.