Prosecutors say a 21-year-old Delta Township man used a car and a shotgun in an attack that killed a 3-year-old girl and seriously injured three adults.
DELTA TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A 21-year-old man has been charged with murder and attempted murder after authorities said he drove into a family out for an evening walk in a Delta Township neighborhood on Feb. 13, then got out and opened fire, killing a 3-year-old girl and wounding three adults.
The case has drawn intense attention in mid-Michigan because investigators say the attack unfolded in a residential area, appeared to target strangers and escalated from a vehicle strike to gunfire and a physical assault. Eaton County prosecutors charged Alexander Lamar Banks Jr. with 10 counts and said he was arraigned Feb. 17. A judge denied bond and ordered a competency evaluation, placing the case on a track that now includes both a homicide prosecution and questions about Banks’ mental condition.
Deputies were sent to the area of Green Meadows and Farmstead Lane at about 5:30 p.m. Friday after reports of an active violent incident. When first responders arrived, authorities said, they found four victims and began life-saving efforts while officers searched for the suspect. Investigators later said a family had been walking in the neighborhood when a vehicle driven by Banks struck them. After the crash, prosecutors say, he got out and fired a 12-gauge shotgun at the people he had just hit. A bystander who rushed in to help was also attacked. The child was pronounced dead at the scene. Sheriff’s officials said a 37-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman were hospitalized in stable condition, while a 72-year-old woman was listed in critical condition in the days after the attack. Banks was taken into custody a short time later with help from Michigan State Police.
Charging records released by the Eaton County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office say Banks faces one count of first-degree premeditated murder, three counts of assault with intent to murder, four counts of felony-firearm, one count of possessing a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent and one count of possessing a loaded firearm in a vehicle. Court records also laid out a more detailed account of what investigators believe happened before and during the attack. According to the affidavit described in local reporting, Banks told police he had packed ammunition and his father’s shotgun into a backpack the day before. Investigators say he drove around his neighborhood, saw a family walking and then steered toward them. Authorities also said home security video showed him getting out of a gray sedan and firing after the collision. The affidavit further alleged that he grabbed the child’s mother by the hair and pulled as though he was trying to break her neck. Officials have not publicly identified the victims in court summaries released so far.
The violence shocked a suburban community west of Lansing where police said they had no reason to believe there was an ongoing threat after the arrest. Delta Township is a heavily traveled area in Eaton County, but the attack happened on a neighborhood street where evening walks are common. The case also stood out because investigators said there was no known link between the suspect and the family. In statements released after the attack, county officials emphasized the narrow facts they were prepared to confirm and avoided discussing broader investigative details outside court. Prosecuting Attorney Douglas R. Lloyd said his office had remained in contact with the sheriff’s office but warned that publicly disclosing too much too early could affect the defendant’s rights and the ability to secure justice for the victims. That careful posture has left some basic facts still unsettled in public, including how the victims were positioned when the car hit them, how many shots were fired and whether any earlier contact occurred between the suspect and the family.
Investigators have also pointed to statements they say Banks made after his arrest. In one account described in court filings and follow-up news reports, he allegedly told police he had to kill someone to save his family. Other reporting based on court records said he claimed he had received threats online. Those assertions have not been tested in court, and prosecutors have not publicly offered a fuller explanation for motive. What is clear procedurally is that the criminal case is moving forward while the court examines competency. Judge Adrianne K. Van Langevelde denied bond at Banks’ arraignment in 56A District Court and signed an order directing that he undergo a competency evaluation at the Center for Forensic Psychology. The case is scheduled for a probable cause conference on April 20, 2026, at 8:30 a.m. If the matter proceeds on the current charges, Banks could face a mandatory life sentence without parole on the murder count if he is convicted.
Even in the sparse public record, the attack has left a sharp picture of chaos on an ordinary winter evening. Dispatchers were warning residents to avoid the area and lock their doors not long after deputies were called. Within that same span, medics were treating multiple victims in the street and officers were hunting for a suspect who had fled on foot, according to investigators’ account. The bystander who stepped in became part of the story because prosecutors say that person was seriously injured while trying to help. County officials later described the episode as a senseless tragedy, and Lloyd said his heart was shattered for the family, friends and loved ones of those who were victimized. Those statements did not add new evidence, but they underscored the scale of the loss: a child dead, three adults seriously hurt and a neighborhood forced to absorb an act of violence that investigators say began without warning.
As of March 16, the defendant remains jailed without bond, the homicide case is pending in Eaton County and the next public milestone is the probable cause conference set for April 20. Authorities have continued to describe the matter as an isolated incident while the sheriff’s office and prosecutors build the case.