Four years old in reporting terms, this case centers on 14-year-old James Banks Jr., an eighth grader at Wogaman Middle School who was shot multiple times and killed near his home on Wexford Place in the Hilltop Apartments area of Dayton on March 28, 2017. Police found eight shell casings at the scene and recovered the weapon believed to have been used. Investigators concluded the shooting occurred during an attempted robbery and that Banks was the target, though what the perpetrators were after was not made clear.

A 21-year-old, Jalyn Simmons, was arrested and charged with aggravated murder and aggravated robbery and later indicted on multiple counts including murder, felonious assault, grand theft, and tampering with evidence. Simmons had only a minor prior record noted as a single traffic citation. Banks’s father, James Banks Sr., and the school superintendent publicly expressed grief and concern for student safety following the killing.

If anyone knew James, his routines in Hilltop Apartments, or has information about the robbery attempt, please come forward.