JACKSONVILLE, FL – Recently released bodycam footage from an officer-involved shooting that happened back in April of this year showcases the moments when a female suspect attacks and stabs a female police officer within moments of her opening her front door to police.
The released footage comes shortly after officials deemed the fatal shooting justified, based upon the actions of the suspect featured in the video.
We need to send unarmed social workers to domestic calls. That’s the obvious solution here. Then surely no one will ever get hurt… 🙄 (note my sarcastic rolly eyes please)https://t.co/kKHcbg86ZY
— Lady Demosthenes (@LadyDemosthenes) September 3, 2020
On April 11th, Officer Elizabeth Mechling was reportedly responding to a domestic dispute at a home located in Northwest Jacksonville on Golfair Boulevard.
When Officer Mechling arrived at the residence and knocked on the door, 29-year-old Leah Baker rushes out armed with a knife and stabbed Officer Mechling in the arm.
The officer immediately creates distance between herself and the armed suspect and orders Baker to drop the knife, which the suspect initially did.
Thereafter, Officer Mechling ordered Baker to get on the ground.
Instead of complying, Baker begins walking down the porch steps and attempts to pick up the knife she initially dropped. Officer Mechling then fires two rounds toward Baker, which investigators stated that the rounds did not strike the suspect.
When the officer called in that shots had been fired, Sergeant J.C. Nobles arrived on the scene.
Sgt. Nobles then orders Baker to drop the knife while at a distance from the suspect, as Baker had managed to retrieve it earlier after Officer Mechling’s previous rounds missed Baker.
Absolutely
— Matt Robbins 🇨🇦 (@MRobbins344) September 2, 2020
Baker apparently relinquished the knife once again, and Officer Mechling orders Baker to get on the ground while Sgt. Nobles is standing off to the side of the suspect. Instead of complying, Baker reached for and grabbed the knife again and started to run directly toward Sgt. Nobles.
The police sergeant fired four rounds at Baker, which grounded the suspect. However, the suspect was still not giving up the knife and a police K9 had arrived on the scene with additional backup.
The K9 was released on Baker while other officers continued to order Baker to let go of the knife. The suspect was said to have even begin attacking the police K9.
Officers were eventually able to get the knife away from the suspect, and Baker reportedly was pronounced dead shortly after being transported to an area hospital.
Have you been in a knife fight? Or even close? Clearly no. A knife is a deadly weapon. And yes. I’ll say it. The officers are entitled-to go home to to their loved ones too.
— JC (@mlc_julie) September 3, 2020
Back in July of this year, Baker’s mother was quick to admonish police shooting her daughter in April, claiming that Baker’s mental health status shouldn’t have resulted in a police shooting:
“I had her in what I thought was a safe house. She did suffer from mental illness. … I never thought that the police would kill my daughter.”
After the release of the bodycam footage, Baker’s mother somewhat amended her stance on the matter, claiming she couldn’t “condone” what her daughter did to the officer:
“I can’t condone my daughter’s actions, but at he same time I have fought with different hospitals to get the help she needed.”
The State Attorney’s Office ruled ruled that both the shots fired by Sgt. Nobles and Officer Mechling were justified in the context that they occurred.
In Greenville County, South Carolina, officials also recently released bodycam footage from an incident that took place earlier in July involving an armed man who was wanted on multiple warrants.
[embedded content]According to reports, the incident occurred around 5 p.m. on July 11th, after Greenville County Sheriff’s deputies had been actively searching for 26-year-old Michael Joseph Culbertson. Deputies were looking for Culbertson in the area of Long Forest Drive because he was wanted on several warrants.
Included in these warrants were resisting arrest, failure to stop for blue lights, interfering with police, and reckless driving. Fox Carolina News reported that Culbertson recently told family members he was not going to jail, and that he had armed himself with a gun.
Greenville County Sheriff’s Office releases body camera footage from July 16 officer involved shooting #SC https://t.co/GRoG8gzLT4
— Raymond E. Foster (@policeofficer) August 25, 2020
Greenville County Sheriff’s Captain Tim Brown said that in a video released on August 25th, deputies had responded to Culbertson’s home, the day before the officer-involved shooting for a domestic disturbance.
Culbertson was able to evade deputies at his home that day, but police continued to look for him the next day. Moments before the officer-involved shooting, body-cam video shows deputies riding in the back of a van looking for Culbertson. Brown said that the officers spotted him on the street.
Brown said that the officers saw him emerge from a set of nearby woods. The video details what was said prior to the officers exiting the van:
“There he is, there he is, there he is.”
Another deputy responded:
“Where, where, where?”
Seconds later, the van stopped and the deputies jumped out with their weapons drawn and pointed in the direction of Culbertson. Deputies verbally told Culbertson to show his hands, at which time he began to flee.
According to the deputies’ reports, Culbertson produced a handgun and began turning towards the deputies, prompting them to discharge their weapons.
https://t.co/S2iaN2ZCFY
Greenville county sheriff’s office SC, officers involved in fatal shooting#Greenville #officer #shooting— US Cops’ Bodycams (@us_cops) August 25, 2020
Sheriff Hobart Lewis confirmed that the suspect pointed his gun at the deputies before they fired at him. Captain Brown said that Culbertson was struck multiple times.
As he fell, body-cam footage shows Culbertson dropping a magazine and a 9mm semi-automatic pistol on the street.
Immediately following the shooting, deputies approached Culbertson, handcuffed him and began CPR and rendering first-aid until the paramedics arrived on scene. Culbertson was transported to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
GREENVILLE COUNTY, S.C. — (Scroll Down For Video) — The Greenville County Sheriff’s Office has released bodycam footage of deputies shooting a man dead who was armed with a handgun.
Michael Joseph Culbertson, 26, was wanted on traffic warrants, includin… https://t.co/0bHHAYmJxf
— BasicGestalt.com (@Basic_Gestalt_) August 26, 2020
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) was called to the scene. SLED and the department’s Office of Professional Standards were the ones who reviewed the shooting.
Sheriff Lewis said that their internal investigation concluded that the actions by Culbertson lead to the justified shooting by the deputies.
He said:
“There is several shell casings up there. Our deputies, we know fired multiple rounds, just from their own statement when everybody got together and they were trying to figure out who was involved.
We had about seven or eight deputies who were out here and it looks like from the initial investigation they all really shot from the same place.”
[embedded content]Lewis also said that it is unclear if Culbertson fired at the deputies, but that none of them where hurt in the incident. SLED said that their investigation is ongoing. The deputies involved were placed on paid administrative leave, as is routine for all officer-involved shootings while the investigation is taking place.
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