Shooting suspect fires at officers after killing woman, injuring 2 inside Tampa home: Police chief
TAMPA, Fla. - A violent man is in custody accused of killing a woman, injuring two others and shooting at Tampa police officers responding to a home along 23rd Street Wednesday afternoon.
Tampa Police Chief Lee Bercaw and Hillsborough State Attorney Suzy Lopez announced the arrest of 42-year-old Michael Banks during a Wednesday news briefing.
Previous booking photo for Michael Banks. Courtesy: Florida Department of Corrections.
They said officers responded to the 10000 block of 23rd Street in Tampa after receiving a call about shots fired at a home in the area. When officers arrived, Bercaw said a woman and juvenile female came out of the home screaming for help.
That's when the suspect is accused of shooting at the responding officers, forcing Tampa police to return fire, according to Bercaw.
"I saw cops ducking behind their cars, and they were trying to do everything they could to protect themselves at the same time," Alysha Maitland, a neighbor who lives in the area, said. "Trying to get the women down the corner to the corner store."
Neither the suspect nor any of the officers were injured in the shooting, and investigators said Banks was taken into custody.
"This is another stark reminder of the dangers of this profession," Bercaw said during Wednesday's news conference. "Our officers bravely ran into danger and stopped the threat and prevented anyone else from becoming a victim of this suspect."
After Banks was arrested, the officers went inside the home and found another woman dead, officials said. The two others who were injured were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, officers said.
"Obviously, in this case, it’s tragedy," Bercaw said. "We have one person deceased and two other victims. Their lives will never be the same. The police officers who came out here, they were involved in a tragic incident. This all could have been avoided."
Investigators said Banks and the victims are known to each other.
Lopez said Banks has a violent criminal history and has served time in prison on previous battery charges.
"Today, we witnessed a miracle in the fact that our officers were not hurt," Lopez said.
The Hillsborough state attorney said charges will be coming for Banks. The shooting remains under investigation.