Joseph Kelly Banks: The Portland Serial Killer
Overview
Joseph Kelly Banks is an American murderer responsible for a series of shootings in Portland, Oregon, during the first three months of 2022. Banks killed three men in separate attacks and seriously wounded three other people. The killings occurred on January 2, February 2, and March 1, 2022, giving the case the characteristics of a serial murder series rather than a single mass-shooting event. Investigators found no apparent personal relationship connecting Banks to the people he targeted, and the attacks appeared largely unprovoked.
The three homicide victims were Isaiah Dewayne Hurst, Jeff Antonio Ramirez, and Mark Johnson. Each man was killed in a separate shooting at a different location in Portland. Investigators eventually connected the crimes through surveillance evidence, the circumstances surrounding the attacks, and forensic examination of 9mm cartridge casings recovered from the crime scenes. Banks was arrested on March 2, 2022, one day after the third murder.
Background and Earlier Legal History
Long before the 2022 killings, Banks had an extensive history with the criminal justice and mental-health systems. In federal court in 2007, he was found not guilty by reason of insanity on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He subsequently spent years in federal psychiatric custody.
By 2020, mental-health professionals reported that Banks had improved while receiving psychiatric treatment and medication. A federal judge approved his conditional release in February 2021. The conditions placed Banks under federal supervision and required him to participate in mental-health treatment, comply with prescribed medication, and refrain from possessing firearms or other dangerous weapons.
His psychiatric history later became central to the prosecution of the Portland killings. After his 2022 arrest, multiple forensic psychologists evaluated Banks. Their conclusions concerning his schizophrenia and his mental state during the attacks eventually resulted in a verdict of guilty except for insanity rather than a conventional prison sentence.
The Murder of Isaiah Dewayne Hurst
The first confirmed murder occurred on January 2, 2022. Isaiah Dewayne Hurst, 39, was driving through the Piedmont area of North Portland after picking up breakfast. Hurst was born February 6, 1982, and was a lifelong Portland resident who had graduated from Grant High School.
As Hurst paused his vehicle at an intersection, Banks drove alongside the driver's side of Hurst's vehicle. Gunfire followed. Banks then drove away while Hurst's vehicle came to a stop. Hurst was pronounced dead at the scene.
Detectives recovered eight 9mm cartridge casings while investigating Hurst's murder. At the time, investigators did not yet know that those casings would become an important forensic link to additional shootings occurring during the following two months.
The Murder of Jeff Antonio Ramirez
Exactly one month later, on February 2, 2022, 35-year-old Jeff Antonio Ramirez became Banks' second homicide victim. Ramirez was near Southeast 119th Avenue and Southeast Stark Street in Portland when he was attacked while seated in his truck.
Banks approached in a vehicle and fired repeatedly with a 9mm handgun before driving away. Witnesses rushed to Ramirez and attempted to help him during his final moments, but his wounds proved fatal.
Ramirez, born November 7, 1986, was remembered by his family as a caring son, brother, uncle and friend. He worked in health care and was described by those close to him as someone devoted to both his family and helping others.
Investigators recovered additional 9mm shell casings from the Ramirez crime scene. Forensic examination determined that the casings were associated with the same firearm used in Isaiah Hurst's murder a month earlier. The discovery provided investigators with significant physical evidence that the two seemingly separate killings were connected.
The Shooting of Stephen Barrera
Banks' violence on February 2 did not end with the killing of Jeff Ramirez. After leaving the scene, Banks continued along Stark Street and fired the same weapon at pedestrian Stephen Barrera.
Barrera survived but was seriously injured. He managed to reach a nearby business, where people provided assistance until emergency medical personnel arrived. Evidence from the attack further strengthened the developing connection between the shootings.
The February 28 Shootings
On February 28, 2022, Banks carried out two more shootings in Portland within a short period of time. Neither victim died, but both suffered serious injuries.
At approximately 4:50 p.m., Banks confronted Lillian Cloud near North Williams Avenue and Stanton Street. During the encounter, Banks questioned Cloud about where they were from and suggested that they did not belong in the area. Cloud attempted to get away but was shot. Cloud survived the attack despite suffering serious injuries.
Approximately half an hour later, Banks encountered Thad Thomas near the Maple Mallory Apartments. Thomas was entering a vehicle with his partner and infant child when Banks stopped nearby. Banks reportedly questioned Thomas about whether he worked for the government before shooting him. Thomas survived but was seriously wounded.
Investigators recovered 9mm cartridge casings from these crime scenes as well. Forensic comparisons tied the evidence to the firearm associated with the earlier attacks on Hurst and Ramirez.
The Murder of Mark Johnson
The final fatal attack occurred the following day, March 1, 2022. Mark Johnson, 55, was near Dawson Park in Portland's Eliot neighborhood when Banks approached and shot him shortly after noon.
Banks used the same 9mm firearm associated with the previous shootings. Johnson was struck by the gunfire and pronounced dead at the scene. Banks fled after the attack.
Johnson's killing became the third homicide connected to Banks in a period of less than two months. By that point, detectives had a series consisting of three murders and three surviving shooting victims, with forensic evidence demonstrating a connection among the attacks.
Confirmed Homicide Victims
- Isaiah Dewayne Hurst, 39 — Killed January 2, 2022, in the Piedmont area of North Portland, Oregon, near North Morgan Street. Hurst was driving home after obtaining breakfast when Banks pulled alongside his vehicle and opened fire.
- Jeff Antonio Ramirez, 35 — Killed February 2, 2022, near Southeast 119th Avenue and Southeast Stark Street in Portland, Oregon. Ramirez was sitting in his truck when Banks fired multiple rounds at him. Witnesses attempted to provide aid, but Ramirez died from his injuries.
- Mark Johnson, 55 — Killed March 1, 2022, at Dawson Park in Portland's Eliot neighborhood. Johnson was shot with the same 9mm firearm associated with the earlier killings and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Surviving Shooting Victims
- Stephen Barrera — Shot and seriously wounded on February 2, 2022, along Southeast Stark Street shortly after Banks killed Jeff Ramirez. Barrera survived after receiving assistance from people at a nearby business and emergency medical personnel.
- Lillian Cloud — Shot and seriously wounded on February 28, 2022, near North Williams Avenue and Stanton Street in Portland. Cloud survived the attack.
- Thad Thomas — Shot and seriously wounded on February 28, 2022, near the Maple Mallory Apartments while he was with his partner and infant child. Thomas survived.
Investigation and Arrest
The investigation increasingly pointed toward Banks as detectives compared evidence from the different shooting scenes. The recovery of matching 9mm cartridge casings was especially significant. Surveillance footage and other investigative evidence also helped authorities reconstruct Banks' movements and connect him to the seemingly separate incidents.
Portland police arrested Joseph Kelly Banks on March 2, 2022, the day after Mark Johnson was killed. He was initially arrested in connection with the February 28 shootings before investigators and prosecutors consolidated evidence relating to the broader series.
On March 28, 2022, a Multnomah County grand jury returned an indictment charging Banks with numerous offenses involving all three deaths and the shootings of the surviving victims. He was accused of three counts of second-degree murder with a firearm along with attempted-murder, assault and weapons charges.
Mental Competency and Court Proceedings
The criminal proceedings were complicated by Banks' longstanding psychiatric history. In June 2022, a judge determined that Banks was unable at that time to assist his attorneys in his defense and ordered him committed to the Oregon State Hospital for treatment intended to restore his competency.
The case eventually focused not on whether Banks had committed the shootings, but on his legal responsibility for his conduct at the time. Three separate forensic psychologists evaluated Banks and concluded that he suffered from schizophrenia and, during the crimes, lacked the substantial capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or conform his behavior to the requirements of the law.
Guilty Except for Insanity Verdict
On April 11, 2025, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Katherine von Ter Stegge found Joseph Kelly Banks guilty except for insanity on charges arising from the murder and attempted-murder series.
The court found Banks guilty except for insanity on three counts of second-degree murder, three counts of attempted second-degree murder, three counts of first-degree assault, three counts of second-degree assault, and three counts of unlawful use of a weapon.
Because of the insanity finding, Banks was not given a conventional prison sentence. He was committed to the custody of the Oregon State Hospital and placed under lifetime supervision of Oregon's Psychiatric Security Review Board. The disposition reflected the court's determination that Banks committed the crimes while also meeting Oregon's legal standard for insanity at the time of the offenses.
Legacy of the Case
The Joseph Kelly Banks case involved three people killed and three others seriously wounded during a violent series lasting from January 2 through March 1, 2022. The attacks occurred in different areas of Portland, frequently in daylight and against people who appeared to have little or no connection with Banks.
For investigators, the ballistic evidence provided a crucial thread connecting the shootings. For the families of Isaiah Hurst, Jeff Ramirez and Mark Johnson, however, the case represented three separate and devastating losses. The surviving victims also continued to live with the physical and emotional consequences of attacks that unfolded without meaningful warning.
The eventual guilty-except-for-insanity judgment brought the criminal proceedings to a conclusion while highlighting the unusual circumstances surrounding Banks' long history of psychiatric treatment and supervision. His three confirmed murders remain Isaiah Dewayne Hurst on January 2, 2022, Jeff Antonio Ramirez on February 2, 2022, and Mark Johnson on March 1, 2022.
