By Brian Stanley
Bugle Staff
bstanley@buglenewspapers.com
A Joliet police officer’s fatal shooting of a bank robbery suspect earlier this year was justified, according to official reports.
“It is my conclusion that Detective (Aaron) Bandy acted lawfully and was justified in using deadly force against Bruce Carter Jr.,’ Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow wrote in a May 7 letter to the Joliet Police Department. State law requires inquiries officer-involved shootings to be conducted by separate law enforcement agencies. Carter’s Feb. 6 death was investigated by the Will-Grundy Major Crimes Task Force.
About 9:30 a.m. Carter approached a teller at First Midwest Bank, 1415 W. Jefferson St., and passed him a note that said it was a robbery and demanded money or the teller would be hurt.
After the teller gave Carter money from his drawer, Carter reached over the counter to take more bills and left with $1,173.
Police learned Carter had been walking toward a nearby apartment building and surveillance photos from the bank were shown to witnesses who provided Carter’s name.
At 11:20 a.m. Bandy and Det. Brad McKeon went to Carter’s house in the 200 block of South Des Plaines Street. While McKeon went around to the back of the house, Bandy spoke on the front porch with Carter’s mother who uses a wheelchair. A housekeeper said Carter came downstairs when his mother called him, but kept one hand in his pocket when Bandy told him to raise his hands, according to the state’s attorney’s report.
Carter then sprang at Bandy with a boxcutter in his hands, Bandy and the housekeeper told investigators.
“As Bruce Carter Jr. was coming towards him with the knife in his hand, Det. Bandy pulled his gun from his holster and fired…twice,” the report said. Bandy told investigators he used his free hand to push the still-oncoming Carter back while his own back was against the wall and he continued shooting.
19 seconds after shots were reported, Bandy radioed dispatch to say “he came after me with a knife, shots fired,” according to the report. Toxicology tests showed Carter had marijuana in his system when he was killed.
“Based upon a thorough review of all the facts and applicable law, Det. Bandy had the reasonable belief that the deadly force employed was necessary to prevent the imminent death or great bodily harm to himself,” Glasgow said.
“No officer ever wants to be in a situation where he must use deadly force to save his life and those lives around him,” Police Chief Al Roechner said. “It’s not good for anyone involved when reports are generated without the true facts.”