UPDATED 7/14, 1:25 p.m. ET: Eric Banks Jr. has been charged with murder, having initially been arrested for assaulting an officer and attempting to disarm an officer. He’s now been hit with first-degree and second-degree murder charges, plus child abuse. Banks is being held without bond.
The death of 15-year-old Dasan Jones was ruled on Tuesday by Baltimore’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner as asphyxiation. The CBS affiliate WJZ-13 wrote that the Glen Burnie High School student’s funeral was held on Monday.
“This is absolutely a heartbreaking, traumatic and horrific case. This was a young man with a bright future,” said police Chief Amal Awad. “DJ had just completed his freshman year in the biomedical Allied Health Program at Glenburnie High School. He took great pride and excelled in his academics, he was a magnet student and was an accomplished violinist.”
Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison also made a statement: “The alleged actions of Officer Banks are not only deplorable, but shocking to the conscience. This is a classic example of why I have advocated for the autonomy and authority to terminate officers when they are facing heinous criminal allegations. Our department will continue to work closely with the Anne Arundel County Police Department during this ongoing investigation.”
See original story below.
Baltimore police officer Eric Banks Jr. has been arrested in connection with the death of his stepson.
CBS Baltimore reports that officers found the body of 15-year-old Dasan Jones inside a wall, per court documents. Banks was immediately taken into custody following the discovery on Tuesday evening.
Officers came to the home in response to a custody dispute between Banks and the teen’s mother. Banks permitted the officers to search his townhouse, which is when they came upon a hole in the wall on the top floor. It was covered by a white sheet, and when asked what it was, Banks allegedly said it was a gun safe.
According to legal docs, he begged to kiss his children when he was handcuffed. Afterwards, he attempted to take an officer’s weapon and said they would “have to end this.” Authorities have deemed the teenager’s death to be “suspicious,” but haven’t divulged any other information. An autopsy has yet to be carried out.
“I heard the mom crying and that cry, I heard instinctually I knew something happened to her kid,” a neighbor told the news outlet. Apparently, Banks initially told an officer his stepson had left the house without taking any belongings.
Banks has been suspended without pay. The 34-year-old has been on the force for three years and at one point had his police authority stripped away for a currently unknown incident.
