MANSFIELD, Ohio – David Parker, the 58-year-old suspect of the 27-hour Mansfield standoff, was officially pronounced dead at 12:27 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon at OhioHealth MedCentral Mansfield Hospital. His death ended what Law Director John Spon called one of the most dangerous circumstances he’s seen involving law enforcement.
“Because of the extreme close proximity with an individual that had very powerful weapons, many times [law enforcement] was at risk,” said Spon. “There was no question that this individual was intending to kill police officers.”
Parker had multiple past incidents with Mansfield Police officers. In November 2010, Parker posted a sign on his personal camper calling the justice system “perverted.” The sign was part of a larger message against Parker’s next-door neighbors, the Gonzales family. Frank Gonzales could attest to Parker’s “bizarre and volatile” nature.
“He didn’t need to be walking the streets around here,” said Frank Gonzales on Tuesday. “He was a threat to everybody, obviously.”
According to the report from the November 2010, Parker had written on the sign that the Gonzales’ were criminals, that the justice system was perverted, and that his constitutional rights were violated.
It wasn’t the first time the Gonzales family had problems with Parker – in November 2009, Mansfield Police were called when Parker allegedly shot at the Gonzales family dog as it ran in their backyard. A witness stated she heard four gunshots toward her dog, and a second witness told police she observed Parker retrieve a rifle from his camper parked in the driveway.
The incident ended with Frank Gonzales’ father in a fistfight with Parker; Parker punched him in the left eye and nose area.
“He’s had problems with neighbors that resulted in physical violence,” said Spon. “We aren’t sure, but we believe he might have had some anti-government beliefs.”
After the fistfight with his neighbor in 2009, Parker was transported to MedCentral Mansfield to receive medical treatment. While at MedCentral Mansfield Parker became disorderly, and when a security officer at MedCentral attempted to restrain him Parker kicked the officer in the face. The officer also sustained a scratch on his right wrist when Parker struck at him. A nurse who witnessed the encounter said she observed Parker kick the security officer multiple times before he was restrained in the emergency room.
Mansfield police seized a -.22-caliber Remington Nylon 66 rifle and -.22-caliber Remington Super-X ammunition from Parker’s residence after the 2009 incident.
Parker’s most recent run-in with Mansfield police prior to Monday occurred on Sept. 11, 2014 when he was arrested for disorderly conduct, obstructing official business and open burning. According to the incident report, Parker was being disorderly with the Mansfield Fire Department about open-burning construction lumber – using foul language, becoming threatening and refusing to obey their commands to put the fire out.
Parker was asked to identify himself several times during the 2014 event and refused several times, citing his Fifth Amendment right. After a brief investigation he was identified, arrested and taken to the Richland County Sheriff’s Office before being incarcerated.
According to Spon, Parker was well armed during the standoff throughout Monday and Tuesday – the standoff was initiated at approximately 8:26 a.m. Monday morning after a Columbia Gas employee called 911 to report a man armed with a rifle came to the door after the gas employee attempted to make contact with him.
Law enforcement was unable to make contact with Parker and he refused to speak with officers. Mansfield Police Chief Ken Coontz stated that through the course of there were 22 instances where shootings occurred from inside Parker’s residence out towards officers. Parker was asked at least 308 times to surrender.
“At least two SWAT vehicles were damaged and some equipment that was shot at,” said Coontz. “The officers were shot at directly. We did return some fire.”
Spon said Parker fired two or three shots shortly before he was shot at approximately 10:56 a.m. on Tuesday morning, ending the standoff.
