Good Samaritan Trying To Stop A Domestic Dispute Shot And Killed In Logan Square
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A man who was trying to do the right thing was shot and killed while trying to stop a domestic dispute in Logan Square.
CBS 2's Charlie De Mar reports.
"It's such a loss it's something that will forever mark me and impact me, but at the same token I'm so honored and privileged," said Molly Cruz, mother of the victim.
Michael Bankston loved Chicago, a passionate freelance writer who loved to bike the city and get around on the L; Logan Square was one of his favorite neighborhoods, that's where he was last month around 4 a.m. when he saw a commotion - a domestic dispute on the on Milwaukee near Spaulding, so he approached the couple and asked the woman if she was ok.
"It's just a testament of his character his selflessness you know his kindness his heart," Cruz said.
Prosecutors say Jesus Garcia, who was fighting with his girlfriend, pulled out a gun and shot Bankston.
The 25-year-old stumbled into the street and attempted to run and crawl away. Garcia stood on the sidewalk and fired more shots.
"It's, it's the hardest thing that anyone could ever go through, let alone a mother. When I found out it's something you don't want to accept," Cruz said.
Garcia admitted to pulling the trigger but claimed self-defense-he told investigators.
He thought the man Bankston was going to do something to him. He even disassembled the gun and threw it in the lagoon.
But area surveillance cameras tell a different story - prosecutors say Bankston was just trying to help. A gesture his mother will always hold close.
"Can I be so bold, to say that in my last breath I will I be able to do something for someone else," she said.
Garcia is being held without bond.