The Killing of Jasper Banks

On January 27th, 2007, shortly past 7:30 p.m. Jasper Banks and another woman were in the parking lot in Target on E State in Rockford, Illinois. An alleged forgery involving a woman believed to be with Jasper and the first woman was being committed leading to the police being called.

It was reported that the security team believed the car to have been involved in a separate forgery attempt at Lowe’s. When Rockford police officers Clint Kellett, Sean Welsh and Aaraon Lesmeister responded to the scene the security team pointed out Jasper’s brown Cadillac to guy Rockford police officers Clint Kellett, Sean Welsh and Aaraon Lesmeister responded to the scene.

Jasper Banks was in the driver's seat when the officers approached. Welsh ahead of Leismeister on the driver’s side and another cop on the front passenger side. The officers ordered Jasper and the woman to get out of the Cadillac under threats of violence. When they did not comply, Welsh and Kellett began smashing the windows with their department issued asps. One of the cops was able to open the driver door. Then, it is alleged that Jasper put the car in reverse and tried back out of the parking space. Because the door was opened by one of the cops, it hit Lesmeister. Jasper was able to back out when Aaron Lesmeister began shooting.

The Cadillac crashed into another and Lesmeister continued shooting into the car until he had no more bullets left. Jasper Banks had been shot in the head.

The woman in the car was arrested and held in custody for $100,000. The woman in the store was arrested and held on a $250,000 bond.

Afterwards it was alleged that Lesmeister had previously harassed and antagonized Jasper Banks. It was alleged Rockford police officers attempted to coerce the woman inside the store to changing her story.

This was the first Rockford police shooting in 2007 and tenth deadly force incident in the 2000’s.