Mass Murder Documentary: George Emil Banks (The Wilkes-Barre Shooter)

On 25 September 1982, George Emil Banks carried out a series of coordinated shootings across Wilkes-Barre and Jenkins Township, Pennsylvania, killing thirteen people, including five of his own children. The attacks, which targeted family members, acquaintances, and others connected to Banks, remain among the deadliest mass shootings in the state's history. His actions shocked the community and prompted one of Pennsylvania's largest homicide investigations.

Through historical records, expert analysis, and detailed case reconstruction, the documentary traces Banks' life, his employment as a prison guard, and the personal circumstances that preceded the shootings. It examines the sequence of attacks, the investigation that led to his arrest, and the criminal trial in which he was convicted of multiple counts of murder and sentenced to death. The film also explores the prolonged legal battle over Banks' mental competency, the repeated rulings that prevented his execution, and the broader questions his case raised about severe mental illness, capital punishment, and the criminal justice system. Banks remained incarcerated until his death in 2025, leaving behind one of the most significant mass murder cases in Pennsylvania history.