Arizona Graduation Party Shooting Leaves 2 Dead, 4 Wounded

MESA, Ariz. — Two people were killed and six others _ two of them children _ were wounded in a shooting at a high school graduation party, police said Sunday.

Brent Matthew Banks, 37, was arrested after a four-hour standoff with police at a house in Mesa, east of Phoenix, Mesa Police Sgt. Ed Wessing said.

Preliminary information indicated that Banks was an invited guest at the party who got into a physical fight with his ex-wife late Saturday, Wessing said.

He allegedly went to his vehicle, got a gun, returned to the party and opened fire, killing his 38-year-old ex-wife and a 32-year-old man, Wessing said.

He said six others suffered minor injuries. They included a 10-year-old boy who was grazed on the head and an 8-year-old boy injured by bullet fragments.

Wessing said that when police arrived patrol cars were hit by gunfire and one officer was shot in the left arm. The officer's injuries weren't life-threatening and no other officers were hit.

Banks has not yet retained an attorney.

Comments

[peace4tomorrow]

Yet another example of men losing control and solving their problems with a gun.

[PavePusher]

Sure. 'Cause crimes are only commited by males. Care to be any more misogynistic?

[dickisarealdick]

misogynistic means women-hating. It doesn't mean men-hating. Although pointing out that men OVERWHELMINGLY (not ALWAYS) commit these gun-related crimes is not men-hating. It's actually quite factual.

[AlaninElkGrove]

the term that you are searching for is "misanthropic", but I understood what you meant...

[twogunmojo]

what was that story yesterday....women loses control and throws children off bridge...andrea yates drowns kids in bathtub...women claims car jacking...later accused of locking kids in car and drowning them....not an assault weapon in sight.....

[dickisarealdick]

Andrea yates wasn't yesterday, but nice try. Congrats, way to point out the EXCEPTIONS to the rule. Two hyped homicides commited by women over 15 years. You know why they and others are hyped 24hour news stories? Because women killers are so much more rare. Talk to you after the next husband/boyfriend shoots his wife/girlfriend story. Any second now.

[shimmyshammy]

Perhaps Apple can design a new iGun that can not only defend you from other gun nuts but also take photos of the aftermath while listening to your favorite tunes.

[daedelus]

Perhaps you can spare us any further pointless comments.

[sedum]

Gee, I thought we all came here for pointless comments.

[wm1066]

Mesa has changed since I started to go there in the 80's. Phoenix just kept expanding and expanding, bringing with it bad elements. Where I lived it was out in the desert, now it is totally surrounded by new housing, new gated trailer home parks.

[shimmyshammy]

The "bad elements" are the suits who dammed the rivers, built the ugly developments like Anthem, and turned a beautiful desert into a consumeristic hellhole.

[stanleyinbrasil]

He is just being PC, the bad elements are the Illegal Mexicans, not the developers and suits.

[max08]

I stay out of AZ . They're all anti-immigration rednecks who think life's problems are solved with a gun...and that includes the rich ones in Scottsdale.

[shimmyshammy]

"They're all anti-immigration rednecks..."

Uh, just a wee bit over-stated. It's only about half the state who fits that description.

[Iraqnophobia]

and the other half are illegals, its quite the melting pot.

[JulieSA]

AZ is beautiful. I've only been there a few times, but I really liked it.

You're a bi got, BTW.

[KodeBloo]

c r e t i n

[pewty]

And youd be shaking like a leaf if you pointed a loaded weapon at someone. Coward.

[PavePusher]

Huh. I don't know anyone who is anti-immigration.

I do know a lot of folks (many immigrants themselves) who are strongly anti-ILLEGAL immigration. I don't see a problem with that....

[TainoBoy]

We need to have gun controls.

[Matt from Italy]

Why do you need guns at all?

OK that's sound a bit provocative, but the problem is gun itself.

Ciao

[stanleyinbrasil]

Why should the crimnals have guns, but not me?

Tchau

[PavePusher]

I have several guns. When I don't take them to the range they just sit there. Hell, my cat is more active in the Arizona heat.

How is the gun causing the problem? The problem (in this case) was the A$&#@!* on the operating end. I will bet you $5 this jerk wasn't legal to own a gun. Look how well that worked. Should we pass another law saying that he's again not allowed to own a gun, and this time we really, really mean it? Or should we take guns away from all the legal owners who have not commited crimes, so that they will be easy prey for the criminals?

Or should we let everyone have the FREEDOM to defend themselves until police can arrive (if ever)? I will note that many communities, and indeed entire states, are preparing to CUT police services in order to keep funding entitlement programs (i.e. Bread and Circuses).

[JulieSA]

We have gun controls.

[dickisarealdick]

And clearly they're not enough. 8 children are killed by guns EVERYDAY in the land of the 'free'. Is that acceptable to you? I guess today's 8 kids are another price we pay for 'freedom'

[incinerate]

"Joshua Ray Perez, 22, was arrested in Rifle on suspicion of criminal attempt to commit murder in the second degree and first-degree assault, stemming from the shooting of two men at 297 Boston Lane. The home is near C Road between 28 and 28 1/2 roads.

His brother, Tommy Lee Perez, 25, was arrested on suspicion of being an accessory to commit murder in the second degree and accessory to commit first-degree assault.

“There’s excessive traffic in and out of that house,” one neighbor said.

Neighbors that were on the street Friday night supported that observation."

http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2009/05/24/052409_shooting_arrests_web.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=7

[Disdain]

There's no accountability in this country. This bozo knows that by playing the system he might get out in a few years to do it again.

[Benton]

Given America is the worlds gulag I would not say that America jails too few people. The problem is they jail too many for victimless non-violent crimes and they are too lenient on violent crime.

[Disdain]

It's mind boggling to me that some people spend less than 8 years in jail for taking another human being's life. There's no real deterrent!

[Matt from Italy]

That's not the solution, I'm afraid.

Prisons does not work, it's just terribly expansive and for the opinion of one of the most prestigious researcher on this matter (Thomas Mathiesen) is the "perfect" assembly plant for crime par excellence.

This is just briefly what I've learnt and studied at the university is not my opinion.

I know I can sound "unbelievable" particularly to the people who has never (ever) been acquainted with this kind of subject (at a scientific level of course): 98,9% of us I'm afraid.

Ciao

[Disdain]

Then Matt if prisons don't work than the only other option is the death penalty.

[aznurse]

He was an invited guest to the party and got into a physcial fight with his ex wife.
I bet this isn't the first Physical fight and I bet there was booze involved.
a happy event changed in a second.

[Turner O'Neill]

I was there can you believe that? I was in the backyard when i heard the shots, jumped the back fence and got the hell out of there.

[mrfreeze]

That must have been unbelievably scary. I'm sincerely curious, would you have felt empowered or brave had you been "packing" yourself? So many gun advocates believe we should all be armed to prevent such situations. I think most, presented with a life-or-death situation such as this would pee their pants and shoot themselves in the foot.

[Turner O'Neill]

haha noo i wouldn't have felt any safer. I think if i had a gun i would have run anyway. I personally think second amendment rights should be limited.

[IssuesInFocus]

Good for you. That must have been a hellish experience. Not to mention tragic. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T1hZx57HMo

[DialectDerelict]

Yeah, I live in Mesa. Not surprised.

[aznurse]

I'm in AJ , graduation parties aren't a problem.
Guns and liquor however,....

[Grannysue]

Yup if they had all been armed the outcome would have been so much better? Right right Wingers?

[Loran Hills]

I certainly hope my daughter's graduation party doesn't turn out the same. Relatives are bringing guns to shoot targets with my neighbor and they are responsible gun owners. The ones who are not cause terrible consequences. If it was up to me I'd eliminate all guns, bombs and nuclear weapons but I'm just a commie pinko bleeding heart liberal who hugs trees.

[Rog49Thomas]

If everyone at the party had been armed, we could have a real Second Amendment fest.

How sad.

[jbeach]

We just need to let teenagers have guns, and everything will be solved...

[Prakosh]

And let them carry them to school!

[Rog49Thomas]

The literal text of the Second Amendment does not set any age requirement.

[Matt from Italy]

*
*
*
We have our BIG problems here in Europe let alone Italy with the Mafia-clown, but I really cannot make head or tail of this kind of cultural obsession so deeply rooted (more in some areas, of course) in US for guns.

Having studied abroad among a lot of US students I had the chance -plenty of times- to discuss this issue (the "right" to own guns for so called self-defence.. kind of oxymoron per se by the way..) but it still leaves me speechless, gob-smashed to say the least.

OK the "an eye for an eye" doctrine..
OK the cowboy culture..

But in my humble this is about just sheer ma.dness (and money of course!).

I feel so sorry for the (daily, weekly?) blo.od bath.

Ciao!

[blastocyst]

Anyone who'd spin-up a yarn and then justify the use of the phrase: "sheer madness" is a favorite of mine.

Good name for a hair salon as well.

[PerkyOMan]

You didn't bother to lokk at his profile.

[bubbuh]

flagged and reported.

[shimsham]

That's a no-no.

[Eres]

I can imagine you were just as astonished as I to read that the only way we could get a Credit Card Reform Law passed last week was to allow the Republicans to include a law (in the Bill) giving individuals the right to carry guns in National Parks.

No only from afar, but up close too, Americans are beginning to appear as delusional maniacs. Not all of us, of course, but in general our society has hopelessly declined. It seems to get worse every day. In terms of leadership -- sadly, we don't have any.

Sure, Obama is a definite improvement to Bush and Cheney, and we are grateful, but he cannot do it alone, and our Congress (our system) is a miserable mess. They couldn't care less about the American people. And the American people exhibit the signs of a brainwashed mass unable to reason for themselves.

[Matt from Italy]

Thanks for your comment and the information you wrote.

I feel terribly sorry for your country really. In Italy we are in dire straits for a number of reasons but at least we don't have this daily slau.ghter caused by guns and arms in general, which are just tantamount to violence and death.

Stammi bene = Take care

[Prakosh]

More than thirty thousand a year die just for the heck of it!!!

[mrfreeze]

Ciao Matt - americani sono predisposti a risolvere tutti i problemi al barile di una pistola. Esiste qui un anti-intellettualismo che permea le nostre scuole e le istituzioni. Gran parte di questa orginates nel sud membri. Barack Obama è stato ampiamente criticato per aver detto che abbiamo bisogno di cambiare questa tendenza, quando paura, ad aggrapparci alla nostra religione e le pistole.

Matt, I'm afraid there's something in our American cultural DNA that we simply can't remove. America has chosen to accept a certain level of carnage in order to protect our "precious" right to own guns.

[Matt from Italy]

Ciao Mrfreeze!

Complimenti per il tuo italiano, dico davvero! :-)

GRAZIE per la tua testimonianza, è un piacere conoscere una persona come te che vive dall'altra parte dell'oceano. (Se posso chiederti) come mai parli l'italiano per interesse, lavoro, origini?

I can see what you mean. For my money the rhetoric of "self-defence" can be easily tracked back to a kind of closed-related one: preventive war. Violence produces just violence even in greater amount, that's terrible.

Our only "weapon" in my humble opinion is culture and facts, the daily or weekly slaughter speaks volume. Fa.scists and wa.rmongers or just nuts have a lot of "good" reason to defend their right to own such a dangerous toys.

By the way I've read your bio and apart for cooking and dacing (I'm pathetic at both) I thought was mine!

Stammi bene è stato un piacere leggerti e grazie di cuore per il commento.

FANNED :-)

[Matt from Italy]

Ciao Mrfreeze!

Complimenti per il tuo italiano, dico davvero! :-)

GRAZIE per la tua testimonianza, è un piacere conoscere una persona come te che vive dall'altra parte dell'oceano. (Se posso chiederti) come mai parli l'italiano per interesse, lavoro, origini?

I can see what you mean. For my money the rhetoric of "self-defence" can be easily tracked back to a kind of closed-related one: preventive w.ar. Vio.lence produces just vio.lence even in greater amount, that's terrible.

Our only "weapon" in my humble opinion is culture and facts, the daily or weekly sla.ughter speaks volume. Fa.scists and wa.rmongers or just nuts have a lot of "good" reason to defend their right to own such a dangerous toy.

By the way I've read your bio and apart for cooking and dancing (I'm pathetic at both) I thought was mine! LOL

Stammi bene -take care- è stato un piacere leggerti e grazie di cuore per il commento.

FANNED :-)

[vie2012ne]

This story proves that we should ban graduation parties.

[vagabondvet]

We should ban cars, because if there wasn't a car then he wouldn't have had anywhere to store his gun.

[mooph]

Or perhaps we should just ban men.

[dream9]

How about a 1-percent alcohol content limit on beer/wine/spirits?