Beyond the Breaking Point: The Tale of George Emil Banks and the Wilkes-Barre Shootings
On September 25, 1982, a mentally disturbed father went on a shooting spree that claimed the lives of thirteen people, including his own children
Background
On the morning of September 25, 1982, 40-year-old George Emil Banks roamed his Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, neighborhood on a mission of destruction. On that fateful morning, with his mental health declining, Banks’ actions would forever affect the lives of so many people and traumatize a community.
Fueled by a twisted sense of hopelessness, Banks methodically targeted family members, acquaintances, and even strangers, resulting in the death of 13 individuals across various locations, including four of his own children.
George Emil Banks
Who was George Emil Banks, and what drove him to commit such horrific acts? Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Banks worked as a prison guard—a job often associated with high stress and exposure to trauma. Colleagues described him as troubled and prone to emotional outbursts, though many dismissed it as a result of the job's strain.
Banks’s relationships were often tumultuous and complicated as he had children with several partners, which led to a web of connections that only fueled his paranoia and instability further, according to interviews with family members and neighbors.
He saw himself as a protector and feared the racial and social obstacles his children could encounter in the future. His mind was tormented by worries about discrimination and environmental decline, which he feared would negatively impact his children’s lives.
Having grown up as a mixed-race child during the 1940s and 50s, George was keenly aware of prejudice and discrimination.
This obsession would ultimately lead to his violent actions.
Prior to his stint as a corrections officer, Banks had served time in prison himself for his role in a robbery, which resulted in a shooting. Despite his record, Banks was hired as a correctional officer at Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, in 1980.
In early September 1982, just weeks before the shootings, Banks had locked himself in a guard tower while threatening suicide. He was ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation at a local hospital.
Shooting Spree
On the morning of September 25, 1982, after a night of drinking and using pills, George Emil Banks shot and killed seven people in his Schoolhouse Lane home. These included three former girlfriends and four of his children, including two sons, a daughter, and a stepdaughter.
Banks then dressed in military fatigues and carried his semi-automatic rifle as he hunted his next victims. The next two people shot just happened to be leaving a neighbor’s house when Banks saw them and opened fire.
24-year-old Ray Hall Jr. died at the scene, while 22-year-old Jimmy Olsen survived his wounds.
Banks then drove to the home of Sharon Mazzillo, a former flame and the mother of three of his children. Banks intruded into her residence that fatal day, shooting her to death. After murdering Sharon, Banks then shot and killed their son Kissamayu.
He also murdered Sharon’s mother, who was trying to use the phone to call for help. Also killed was Sharon’s 7-year-old nephew. The only survivor was Sharon’s brother, who managed to hide in a closet during the attack.
After the murders, Banks abandoned his car and carjacked another vehicle.
Manhunt and Standoff
After resting for a while, Banks went to his mother’s house and confessed what he had done. He then asked her to take him to a friend’s house. Though horrified by what she had just learned, she did as George asked.
At the same time, the police were looking for Banks after connecting him with the shootings.
Shortly after dropping George off, Banks’s mother returned home and was met by authorities looking for her son. They then drove to the location, and Banks’s mother attempted to convince him to surrender.
As the standoff progressed, police tried various tactics to convince Banks to give himself up. Nothing worked.
Finally, a former co-worker of Banks arrived at the scene, and convinced him to surrender.
Trial
George Banks’s trial began in June 1983. He faced a litany of charges, including murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, grand theft auto, and numerous other charges. If convicted, Banks faced a possible death sentence.
Banks insisted on testifying at trial, and though his rambling and, at times, incoherent defense did not win his acquittal, it may have spared his life. Because even though the jury recommended the death penalty, Banks’s attorneys continued to appeal his case, and in 2010, he was found mentally incompetent for execution, with psychiatrists having previously labeled him as “psychotic, delusional, and irrational.”
Updates
Today, George Emil Banks is serving his sentence at State Correctional Institution Phoenix in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
Sources:
Lohr, D. (n.d.). "The true story of George Emil Banks". Crime Library. Retrieved from https://crimelibrary.org/notorious_murders/mass/banks/index_1.html
Commonwealth v. Banks, 513 Pa. 318, 521 A.2d 1 (1987). Retrieved from https://law.justia.com/cases/pennsylvania/supreme-court/1987/513-pa-318-1.html
Singleton, D. (1983, June 6). The lone survivor of a shooting spree that left 13 other people dead said Monday accused killer George Banks told him he would 'not live long enough to tell anyone about this.' "UPI Archives". Retrieved from https://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/06/06/The-lone-survivor-of-a-shooting-spree-that-left/2255423720000/