.
Feedback

Vigil Held For Man Fatally Shot By Police

Friends, family and co-workers turned out for a Saturday night vigil for Anthony Banta Jr.

About 200 people turned out for a Saturday night vigil for Anthony Banta, the 22-year-old man who was fatally shot early Thursday morning by Walnut Creek police.

Friends, family and co-workers participated in an hour-long candlelight memorial at the Newell Avenue facility where Banta worked as a haidresser.

Mourners also wrote personal remembrances on a large card with Banta's picture inside the salon.

Michael Falcon, co-owner of the salon, said the purpose of the vigil was to provide comfort and solace for those who knew Banta.

"It's an opportunity for the community to get a glimpse of Anthony and how much he inspired us," said Falcon.

Banta was shot to death by police officers who responded to a 9-1-1 call at 3:13 a.m. Thursday about a disturbance at an apartment on Creekside Drive in Walnut Creek.

Police administrators have said the officers were concerned for their safety when they entered the apartment, but family members have said Banta was armed with only a knife and police did not need to use lethal force.

Josh Goldman December 30, 2012 at 04:54 am
May he rest in peace.
Jim December 30, 2012 at 06:43 pm
So give me a knife (in a crazed state) and let me see how easy it is to kill you. "Armed with only a knife". What a dumb comment.
Ralph Hoffmann December 30, 2012 at 08:58 pm
A knife is no match for guns. Why didn't the police use mace or pepper spray if they felt threatened? So much for a safe downtown Walnut Creek. The next City Council Meeting should adjourn in memory of Anthony Banta, Jr.
Chris Montgomery December 30, 2012 at 10:10 pm
Jim you need to think before you speak
John N December 31, 2012 at 01:43 am
If you ever met this young man he is one of the least imposing figures you would ever meet. Why not just wait him out. It was not like he was charging the officers or any one else. Why was there such a uproar when the BART officer shot the young black man a few years ago, but this is just another thing that will be swept under the rug. Not racial enough for the civil rights folks. That sucks....
Love December 31, 2012 at 04:21 am
The walnut creek police could have shot to stop, instead of shot to kill. Two cops both discharging multiple shots is excessive.
Stephen Fredricks December 31, 2012 at 11:46 am
Jim
In this situation, you have a SMALL young man who probably pales in comparison to the size of the Police Officers. Remember there were two highly trained men against one hair dressers who didn't even have a criminal record; it's an obvious display of using too much force in this particular situation. If Banta had been subdued by alternative means, any judge would have given him Probation and without Jail time due to his mental state before the shooting. Perhaps it's time to train officers with some form of Martial Arts Self Defense Tactics which could have easily disarmed Anthony. Normally, I side with Law Enforcement but, I don't in this situation because they could have easily Tased Banta. Shame on WCPD.
KTJ December 31, 2012 at 01:25 pm
Jim - if you had known Anthony you would never write such an insensitive comment. We aren't talking about a dangerous thug here, but a sweet small gentle man who was probably afraid. Please consider refraining from your lounge chair wisdom when you know nothing of the event or subject. This loss is inexcusable and unacceptable; it shows that anyone can be killed apparently by police for being frightened. This is terrifying to every parent and loving person out there.
Jim December 31, 2012 at 01:46 pm
That's all great Stephen but you have absolutely no clue about what happened. You weren't there. Same goes for me. What I do know is you and the others are here watch too much TV. It's easy to assume (from your couch) that all cops are superheroes and should be able to disarm someone with a knife like it's nothing. You're not the one faced with the split second decision where the consequences mean maybe you don't get to go home to your family at night. Since these shootings happen only once every few years in Walnut Creek is it just maybe possible that the other 100 times officers faced a similar situation they WERE able to take some sort of other action like a tazer, "talking them down", "martial arts" etc and no firearm was used? Any maybe this one time the officers were in fact faced with a person, in what a witness described as a "crazed state", armed with a knife in a small space and just maybe officers felt their best option was lethal force to not get injured or killed? Or maybe to keep the two people that called 911 from being killed? Last time I checked getting stabbed was not a requirement for police officers but you may know better. Are these things possible or does your vast knowledge of the specifics of this incident and police tactics mean you still believe officers could have "easily" done something different?
melissa January 1, 2013 at 01:29 am
One of the nicest people I have ever met. Please don't leave negative comments it hurts the feeling of the friends and family of Anthony.
Josh Goldman January 1, 2013 at 05:04 am
Ralph Hoffmann is uneducated. You do not stop a knife with pepper spray. I strongly suggest you educate yourself on the "escalation of force". No police academy in USA would teach that you can use pepperspray to stop someone with a knife.
David Mills (Editor) January 2, 2013 at 02:16 pm
Hello, folks... thanks for your thoughts. We feel everyone has had a chance to express themselves, so we are closing off comments on this story.

Newsletter & Alerts

Get the best stories each day and important breaking news

Subscribe

Not from Walnut Creek Patch? Find your Local Patch »

Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Joe H June 15, 2013 at 11:17 am
Chem trails ... You tube..
inquiring mind June 15, 2013 at 02:22 pm
The trails I saw at you tube, while bigger than vapor trails, were still very puny compared to theRead More banner cloud formations I saw this, banners stretching straight from East to West (or vice versa) from one horizon to the other. May guess is that they were over 500 feet wide, and I'm still inclined to think the straight-line winds that made the derecho in the East pushed backwards a straight banner of visible water vapor (ie, clouds). Compare the physics to the x-rays that are pushed backwards when matter is sucked into the spiral of a black hole, a new discovery this week.
Jim Caroompas (Editor) June 10, 2013 at 12:39 pm
Beau is a blogger, and his opinions are his own. We encourage Walnut Creek Patch users to startRead More their own blogs, and that would include movie reviews.
Beau Behan June 10, 2013 at 01:35 pm
Thanks, Jim. I appreciate it. Hi Julio, As we all know, Even the late movie guru, Roger Ebert'sRead More fans, sometimes, did not agree with his assessment. This is the beauty of a filmic conversation. There is really no right or wrong. It is highly subjective. Even Rotten Tomatoes sometimes do not agree with Top Critics from around the world.
Julie Jepsen-Grant June 4, 2013 at 05:09 am
Tonights meeting at 7 p.m. City Hall Agenda Item The following is copy/paste from Agenda availableRead More on City's Website. Attachment: STATEMENT OF ISSUE: The library café opened in September 2012 with a Rental Commencement Date of October 1, 2013. Since the very beginning of operations, the tenant has struggled to meet the lease obligations and most recently requested waived rent through September 2013. Staff has negotiated an amendment to the lease that addresses City concerns and supports the tenant’s viability for success, and recommends the new terms to the Council for approval. RECOMMENDED ACTION: Approve and authorize the Mayor to execute an amendment to the lease agreement with Café Pica Deli, Inc. to adjust the monthly rent from $1,250 to $400 per month for the first twenty-four (24) months of the Initial Term; modify the “Percentage of Sales” revenue sharing provision in the agreement, as well as add flexibility to the hours of operation.
Julie Jepsen-Grant June 4, 2013 at 05:18 am
""The bottom line, she said, is that "we need to make sure that we're engaging inRead More financial education cradle to grave so that people have the skills they need." By CNBC's Kelley Holland.
Julie Jepsen-Grant June 6, 2013 at 05:31 am
What was the outcome of this agenda item?