Bodycam Video Released In Fatal Police Encounter With Knife-Wielding Suspect

MANSFIELD, OH - More details have emerged after a police-involved shooting where a knife-wielding suspect, Michael Oswalt II, was fatally shot by officers following a three-hour standoff. Oswalt was holding his girlfriend and two small children against their will in what began as a domestic disturbance. 

Chief Jason Bammann of the Mansfield Division of Police said Oswalt had a similar interaction with Columbus Police in August.

During the Aug. 10 incident on Interstate 71, Oswalt was reportedly driving a work truck with an attached snow plow near the I-70 ramp when it crashed around 9:15 a.m. that morning. Oswalt refused to leave the vehicle when police arrived on-scene, and began throwing construction tools and other items from the truck at officers. He was later subdued around 1:45 p.m. and taken into custody.

The domestic incident began on Saturday, Oct. 19th, in the early hours of the morning around 2 a.m. A concerned neighbor had reported that Oswalt and his girlfriend had been fighting and that she was fearing for her life, prompting police to arrive minutes later. Upon arrival, a woman answered the door and confirmed that Oswalt was armed with a knife, and accused him of being "messed up on crack," which Oswalt denied.

Oswalt quickly shut the door, leaving the responding officers on the doorstep, struggling to force open the door to enter the residence. He then fled upstairs, becoming difficult with officers during a verbal conversation. One officer attempted to ask Oswalt his name, but is rebuffed and told to "Go the [expletive] away and leave [Oswalt] alone." When the officer replies back that they weren't going to leave, Oswalt says "Shoot me, I don't care [...] I've got a knife, and I will use it."

During the three-hour exchange, officers were able to secure the two children that were in the home. Eventually, the woman ran from the home, chased by Oswalt. He was quickly pursued and blocked by officers, who attempted to use non-lethal methods to subdue him, but were unsuccessful. Officers were made to use lethal force to stop the suspect.

"Everybody did a great job," Bammann said. "Sometimes these things don't play out the way we'd hoped, no matter how good a job we do. He was definitely in some type of a mental crisis, but everybody did a phenomenal job."