“I didn’t call them to come and kill my son”: Family of Star man killed by police files suit against officers involved

BOISE, Idaho – The family of a Star man who was shot and killed by police is suing the city of Star, Ada County and police officers involved in the shooting.

Jeremy Banach, 39, was shot and killed by police on June 15, 2022. Pictures of Jeremy hang throughout his father Skip’s house and serve as a painful reminder of his loss.

“It’s horrible,” Skip said. “I think about my son every day, several times a day.”

Boise police conducted a Critical Incident Task Force investigation into the shooting. The Valley County District Attorney’s Office reviewed the findings and concluded that the officer who shot Jeremy was justified in firing.

The Ada County Sheriff’s Office said Jeremy was under the influence of fentanyl and methamphetamine at the time of the shooting, stole a gun from a family member and later pointed it at officers. Police said Jeremy ignored several attempts to tell him to drop the weapon.

The Banach family said officials should have handled the situation differently.

“You never know who you’re dealing with. My son wasn’t a bad person. Did he have a problem? Yes. He had a mental problem,” Skip said. “You don’t solve a mental problem by shooting him. You should try to help him.”

Jeremy’s family filed a lawsuit on Monday accusing police officers of negligent and reckless conduct in shooting Jeremy.

The lawsuit alleges Jeremy showed up at their Banach home and was told to leave. The family said he refused to leave and was high, so they called police to enter the Banach home and get him the help he needed for his drug addiction.

“They did their job negligently,” Skip said. “They came to my house because I called. I didn’t call them to come and kill my son.”

According to ACSO, Banach eventually agreed to leave the property after being asked to do so several times and they also noticed that he had tucked the gun into his waistband when he was asked to leave.

Skip said police never told him Jeremy had a gun until he left the property and went to the Star Merc parking lot, where officers shot him five times because they pointed the gun at his head.

“If I had known he had a gun, I would have gone and taken the gun away from him,” Skip said. “It’s against the law to have a gun – any kind of gun, let alone a pistol – and be high. (The law) says you have to arrest them. They didn’t arrest them, they let them go. That was negligent. If it hadn’t been for that point, his killing would never have happened.”

Jeremy’s parents made a documentary called “A Cry for Help” to tell their son’s story.

“We wanted to make the documentary so that there would be a good explanation for the things that happened that day,” Skip said. “And it explains why we’re going to court today.”

They also call for reform of police training in Ada County so that officers can better deal with people in crisis situations.

“Law enforcement has to understand the difference between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law,” Skip said. “When they understand that, they will act in the best interest of the public. That’s our job – to look out for the public and make sure they’re safe and that we’re doing what’s best for that person.”

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