In the predawn hours of a late autumn day in Denver, Colorado, the life of 20-year-old D-Andre Joseph Mayfield was tragically cut short. On November 23, 2015, police responded to reports of shots fired near 47th Avenue and Peoria Street. Upon their arrival, they discovered Mayfield inside a vehicle, suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to a nearby hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after.
D'Andre, born in Denver on February 12, 1995, was a young man with a love for drawing
and a history of working in construction. He was remembered by loved ones for his fun-loving nature and the smile that could light up a room. At the time of his death, he was a devoted companion to his girlfriend and a father figure to her young daughter. His family and friends were left to grapple with the sudden and violent loss of a young man who they described as having a heart of gold.
The investigation into Mayfield's death quickly identified a suspect: 20-year-old Kenneth Banks. The Denver Police Department issued a warning that Banks should be considered armed and dangerous. For months, Banks eluded authorities, but he was eventually apprehended in California in mid-2016. The motive for the shooting is believed to be gang-related.
Kenneth Banks's capture brought to light a string of violence that extended beyond the death of D'Andre Mayfield. He was also implicated in the murders of two other individuals, Joel Gomez-Chavez and Fallon Graham, which occurred within the same three-day period in November 2015. In October 2017, Banks pleaded guilty to the first-degree murder of D'Andre Mayfield and was subsequently sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. This plea was part of a larger case that saw him accepting responsibility for all three killings, bringing a close to a violent chapter that had left multiple families mourning.
