Bruce Carter's Death By Joliet Detective: 3 Months Later

JOLIET, IL — Wednesday, May 1, marks twelve full weeks since Joliet Police Department Detective Aaron Bandy fatally shot Joliet resident Bruce Carter under circumstances that remain foggy to this day. Bandy fired four bullets into the 38-year-old African-American's body at the house of Carter's mother. But why the need for deadly force, people inside and outside Joliet continue to ask.

The late morning, mid-week shooting on Feb. 6 occurred in the 200 block of South Des Plaines Street, roughly two blocks from the downtown Joliet Police Station.

At the time of his death, Carter had a regular job. He also had not been prosecuted for any crimes during the past 20 years.

Joliet Police have suggested that Bruce Carter robbed the First Midwest Bank on West Jefferson Street in the hours leading up to his fatal shooting by the Joliet Police detective who went to Carter's house in plainclothes.

Another question on peoples' minds: Was there even an armed robbery in the First Midwest Bank on Feb. 6, and if so, what irrefutable proof ties Carter to committing the crime?

Here was still footage released by the Chicago branch of the FBI in early February showing a man who looks to be Carter walking leisurely away from the bank counting his money- who is apparently not worried about being caught. Also, the footage released by the FBI shows a man who looks to be Carter not wearing any disguise inside of the bank.

The overwhelming percentage of bank robbers wear a disguise to conceal their identities because most bank robberies are premeditated and well-thought out by the criminals.

Also, the photos disseminated by the FBI don't show the man believed to be Carter displaying any weapons. If Carter gave the bank a note demanding money, why hasn't that been released by now — 12 weeks later?

Some people have suggested Carter's shooting may be a case of mistaken identity.

People familiar with Carter uncovered video evidence that shows he rode a bus to the bank that morning to cash his paycheck from work and that he rode another bus home.

If Carter did indeed rob the west side bank, why would he take the risk of waiting to catch the bus moments after committing such a brazen crime?

"There appears to be no proof he robbed a bank," said Joliet Central High School social studies teacher Ernest Crim, a recent write-in candidate for city council. "I think they're hiding."

Crim told Joliet Patch it's obvious the Joliet Police Department has a major transparency problem, particularly with the Bruce Carter case. He questions the legitimacy of the deadly shooting, and he also wants to know what probable cause detective Bandy, in plainclothes, had to even be present inside Carter's house?

As long as the Joliet Police Department's shooting of a black man in the community remains secretive, Crim said, "it just makes everybody look bad. As I look at this from a distance, none of this makes sense, and I'm being a critical thinker. We just need some answers."

The last time Joliet Police killed someone in the community was in March 2015.

Shaquille Barrow, 20, died following a house burglary, near Richards Street and First Avenue. In that case, Barrow was armed with a gun and he was with a criminal accomplice. In that case, the Will County State's Attorney Office of James Glasgow wrapped up its investigation in a month.

By April 3, 2015, there was a press release declaring Joliet Police Officer Dennis Carroll "showed tremendous restraint prior to moving to the use of deadly force."

On the other hand, two days after the Bruce Carter shooting, the Joliet Herald-News ran an article with a headline, 'They Shot An Innocent Man." That night, an angry Joliet Police Chief Al Roechner issued a statement assuring the press and the community that the Feb. 6 shooting was justified.

Roechner issued a statement claiming Carter came at the unidentified officer with a box-cutter knife and the officer had to shoot him. However, Roechner was being secretive, choosing not to release Bandy's identity.

Roechner, who was previously deputy chief of criminal investigations under Chief Brian Benton who left last year, has worked closely with Bandy during the past several years. Bandy handles a lot of Joliet's homicides, which also raises a question that has not been fully explained by police, why was Bandy even inside Carter's house?

"Fearing for his life and the lives around him, the officer was forced to act and shot the suspect in order to stop the threat," Chief Roechner's statement from Feb. 8 read.

Joliet Police have made no more public comments about the shooting ever since. Now, we're starting May.

No press releases have been issued by Will County State's Attorney James Glasgow's office, either. Meanwhile, more people are on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube discussing the Bruce Carter shooting in Joliet. People are even starting to show up at Joliet City Council meetings to put pressure on the city's elected leaders. There is another city council meeting next week.

On Twitter, several of the notable hashtags being used by people following the case include:

• #BruceCarter
• #blackwhilebanking
• #policebrutality
• #joliet

On Tuesday, April 16, two people showed up to speak their mind at Joliet's City Council meeting.

"Bruce Carter was fatally shot by Joliet Police undercover detective Aaron Bandy February 6, 2019, and while there is an ongoing investigation, mounting evidence is showing that Bruce Carter was yet another innocent victim of police misconduct resulting in an unjustifiable death," Melissa Boatman told the Joliet City Council on April 16.

"Bruce Carter is the second person in four years, and as a concerned citizen, I as well as other members of the community want the police to use less lethal force such as the case in Ferguson," she continued. "There's a clear prejudicial undercurrent in the Joliet Police Department, and it has been documented recently with racial lawsuits as well as racial slurs and victim-mocking online by current members of the Joliet Police Department."

Boatman informed the city council that the Naperville Police Department has been using beanbag shotguns and "there are several alternatives to bullets such as batons, bean bags, Tasers, pepper spray, tear gas, rubber bullets and pepper balls."

Boatman said that Joliet Police Department needs to get with the times and become more accountable to the public by using body cameras. Unlike many metropolitan departments in America, the Joliet Police Department has resisted efforts to equip their officers and detectives with body cameras.

Boatman also said Joliet should consider having their police officers undergo more diversity training as well as training on how to work with people with mental health issues.

"Maybe that could help keep some people alive," Boatman said, thanking the city council for a chance to address them.

After Boatman spoke, a man who identified himself as Taz Exclusives spoke.

He told the council he runs a media platform on YouTube, which is called Taz Exclusives. At the bottom of this article are a couple YouTube videos raising questions about Bruce Carter's shooting by Joliet Police Detective Aaron Bandy.

"I was very unsatisfied with the reporting, which I know you guys aren't The Daily Herald, so that's not your problem. But I was more so concerned with the information that came forth from the police department. You just had a lot of holes in a story that I feel was very important to a community like this.

"I'm not a citizen of Joliet. At times, I have looked around Illinois for a place to live outside of Chicago, because I'm from Ohio. I actually looked at Joliet as a place to live at one point and I was so dissatisfied with how that case was handled, I would never live here.

"I'm not here to disparage the city, but I am here to ask that when things like (this) happen, that you as city council, that you don't allow that to happen to where people outside of Joliet feel like you won't stand up for the average citizen.

"Me, as a black man, I feel like in America, we already have that issue ... it's important for you to make sure that issue is not forgotten, for someone like myself, Bruce Carter and Melissa Boatman, who is here on his behalf."

More than six weeks ago, Joliet Patch submitted a Freedom of Information Act request on March 14 for police reports on the Bruce Carter case.

Deputy Chief of Police John Perona provided the following response, a week later, March 21.