Vehicular and Gun Attack on White Family--The Rest of the Story

Perusing Western Rifle Shooter's Association this morning, I came across a citation to a post from Tactical Hermit about an incident in Michigan where a black man had run down a family with his car and then shot and killed a three year old. The Tactical Hermit described the incident as "unreported" and that seems to be largely true. We know if the races had been reversed, every major media outlet would have been screaming to high heaven about it and armies of talking heads would have been discussing "systemic racism" and the like. But coverage seems to be limited to local reporting or relegated to the figurative back pages of national outlets if reported at all.

    CBS News - Detroit reported yesterday:

    A 21-year-old Delta Township, Michigan, man is accused of killing a child and injuring three adults after he hit a family with his vehicle who was out for a walk and then fired a weapon, authorities said.   

    On Tuesday, Alexander Lamar Banks Jr. was charged with homicide, four counts of felony firearm, three counts of assault with intent to murder, carrying a weapon with unlawful intent and possession of a loaded firearm in a vehicle. 

    Eaton County deputies say that a family was out for a walk around 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 13 near Green Meadows and Farmstead Lane in Delta Township when a vehicle struck the family. The driver then got out of his vehicle and fired numerous shots toward them, according to authorities. A bystander who tried to help was also attacked and seriously injured, deputies said. 

    A suspect was located by deputies and taken into custody with the help of the Michigan State Police. 

    A 3-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene, deputies said. 

    A 72-year-old woman was taken to an area hospital, where she was listed in critical condition, authorities said. A 37-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman were also hospitalized.    

No description of the offender or motive. WILX-10 News has more details in its article, also from yesterday, entitled: "Delta Twp. shooting suspect told police he attacked family because he received threats online, court records say." Don't let the headline mislead you--Banks did not receive any threats from his victims. Instead, he supposedly received anonymous instructions that he had to kill someone to save his family; he is, consequently, undergoing a competency evaluation. The article also has more information about the attack:

    Police have reviewed doorbell footage from a neighbor’s home that shows Banks in a gray sedan intentionally driving into the family before getting out with a 12-gauge shotgun and opening fire, according to the probable cause affidavit.

    The document says Banks was seen running from the car and taking the shotgun out of a backpack. He then returned to the backpack and reloaded the gun and began firing again.

    He also began punching the girl’s parents and grabbed the mother by her hair “and began pulling it as if he was trying to break her neck,” according to the affidavit.

    Banks then allegedly hit the 72-year-old woman with a shotgun, according to the documents. A sheriff’s deputy found a 12-gauge shotgun in the front yard and multiple spent shotgun shells were found at the scene.

[snip]

    The affidavit says Banks admitted to police that he tried to intentionally hit the family. He told investigators that he had been receiving threats online telling him “he had to kill someone to save his family,” the affidavit says.

    He told police he filled a backpack with shotgun shells the day before the attack and took the shotgun from his father’s room and hid it in the garage. Then on Friday, he “took the backpack and shotgun and left the house in his father’s car,” the affidavit says.

    “He drove around the block in his neighborhood a couple times and saw a family walking down the street. Banks Jr. advised that he crashed into the family, intentionally trying to strike the male,” the document reads. “Banks Jr. advised that he got out of the vehicle, grabbed the shotgun, and began shooting at the family he just crashed into. He then began beating a male with the shotgun and then an older female who came running towards him. Banks Jr. said he dropped the shotgun and fled on foot.”