On a tragic day in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, a young girl named Maritanya Banks was among the thirteen individuals who lost their lives in a horrific mass shooting on September 25, 1982. She was one of five of the shooter's own children, all aged six and under, who were killed that day. The perpetrator was her father, George Emil Banks, a 40-year-old former prison guard.
The devastating chain of events began in the early morning hours at the family's home on Schoolhouse Lane. After consuming a significant amount of alcohol and prescription drugs, George Banks, dressed in military fatigues, used a Colt AR-15 semi-automatic rifle to murder eight people in his house. The victims in the home included three of his girlfriends, who were the mothers of his children, and his five young children. Following the initial attack, he continued his rampage outside, fatally shooting a bystander and wounding another before proceeding to the Heather Highlands mobile home park. There, he killed a former girlfriend, her mother, her son, and his own son.
Following the shootings, George Banks engaged in a four-hour standoff with police at a friend's house before surrendering. He was subsequently arrested and charged with twelve counts of first-degree murder, one count of third-degree murder, attempted murder, aggravated assault, and several other offenses. During his trial, his defense attorneys argued that he was legally insane. However, the jury found him guilty on all counts and, on June 22, 1983, sentenced him to death for the twelve counts of first-degree murder.
Despite the death sentence, George Banks was never executed. His case went through numerous appeals, and in 2010, he was declared incompetent for execution due to his deteriorating mental condition. He spent the remainder of his life incarcerated and died in prison on November 2, 2025, at the age of 83 from kidney cancer. His violent actions on that September day remain the deadliest mass shooting in Pennsylvania's history.
