Lawsuit Fails For Mother Of Joliet Bank Robber Killed By Police

JOLIET, IL — A U.S. District court judge in Chicago has dismissed Grace Vann's federal lawsuit against the Joliet Police Department and Detective Aaron Bandy for killing her 38-year-old son Bruce Carter, court records show.

Back in February, Joliet Patch reported that Vann filed her lawsuit without retaining a licensed Illinois lawyer surrounding the February 2019 death of her son. Carter was fatally shot in the chest inside his mother's house on South Des Plaines Street following a Joliet bank robbery at a First Midwest Bank branch on West Jefferson Street.

When she filed her lawsuit pro se, Vann checked a box on the court document forms claiming that Bandy used excessive force and violated her son's civil rights by killing him.

This fall, U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso dismissed Vann's lawsuit against Bandy and Joliet Police Department and removed the case from his court docket.

"Six months ago, the Court granted plaintiff leave to proceed in forma pauperis," the judge's entry stated. "Since that time, plaintiff’s case has been inactive. She has taken no steps to assist the Marshal’s Service in effectuating service. The USM-285 forms sent to her have been returned as undeliverable. Plaintiff has failed to notify the Court of her current address. Accordingly, there is no good cause to extend the time for service ... Furthermore, because plaintiff’s case has been inactive for more than six months, it is appropriate to dismiss the case for want of prosecution ..."

In 2019, Will County State's Attorney Jim Glasgow announced that the shooting of Carter was justified after a total of $1,173 was taken during the robbery at the First Midwest Bank "back on Feb. 6, of which $875 was recovered in Bruce Carter's possession. Based upon the review and analysis of the police reports, witness statements, forensic tests, fingerprint analysis, Illinois law concerning the use of deadly force and the force option continuum, Detective Aaron Bandy was clearly justified in the use of deadly force," Glasgow concluded.