MANSFIELD — Michael Oswalt II was chasing his girlfriend from behind with a knife early Saturday morning when Mansfield police officers fatally ended his pursuit with gunfire, according to Chief Jason Bammann.
The officer-involved shooting at 4:56 a.m. ended a three-hour, hostage standoff in a house at 200 Cline Ave. — a tense incident that came two months after Oswalt, 41, allegedly engaged Columbus police in an hours-long standoff near Interstate 70/Interstate 71.
Oswalt threw objects at officers and others during the Columbus standoff, allegedly hitting one officer in the face with a tool. He was described as 5-foot-11 and 270 pounds in court records and had a Bellville address.
After ultimately surrendering during the Aug. 10 incident, Oswalt was charged with felony assault on a police officer from that incident and was out on bond pending trial, according to Franklin County Common Pleas Court records.
On Tuesday morning, Bammann said Oswalt talked during the local event about the Columbus incident during negotiations with the county-wide Hostage Negotiating Team and ASORT — as he held his girlfriend and her two children, ages 8 and 6, upstairs in the home.
“He brought it up several times. It was described to me as more of a bragging (by Oswalt),” said Bammann, adding the suspect was apparently under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.
“I think by what we have seen in the past, he does have mental-health issues, also. I am assuming the combination of all of that kind of led him all over the place, but the entire three-hour event was very tense,” the chief said.
Officers responded at 1:56 a.m. when a neighbor called 9-1-1 to report suspected domestic violence, Bammann said.
Oswalt came to the door of the two-story residence armed with a knife and immediately turned and fled up the stairs to the second floor, according to the chief, who said the suspect remained upstairs and out of sight during most of the event.
“The night watch officers had an amazing response. They did exactly as they are trained. They set up a perimeter and began trying to talk to the subject. They got him talking and that’s a big thing because it takes a few minutes to get ASORT and HNT to assemble and get on the scene,” Bammann said.
He said negotiators spoke with Oswalt from the doorway. He responded from upstairs, never coming into view.
Negotiators worked to get Oswalt to surrender — or at least release the adult woman and her two children. Near the end, he did free the children, who came safely downstairs and were taken into police care.
A short time later, Bammann said, the woman actively tried to flee from the residence.
“He was directly behind her with the knife … chasing her,” the chief said. “She gets to the door and he’s (still) behind her with the knife.”
The chief said four ASORT members fired at Oswalt.
“One of the officers fired a less-than-lethal around, which had little to no effect,” the chief said. “I think it was a foam round.
“The other three officers then fired the fatal shots,” the chief said, adding Oswalt went down in the doorway.
Mansfield Fire Department paramedics assigned to the ASORT team immediately began to treat Oswalt. But the suspect was later pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Richland County Coroner’s Office.
The incident came just days after the National Alliance on Mental Illness — Richland County, Richland County Mental Health & Recovery Services Board and local law enforcement officers participated in another crisis intervention team training.
Bammann said 100-percent of the sworn officers in the MPD have been through the training.
“It’s a requirement for every new hire,” he said.
Members of the HNT have extensive training, the chief said.
“As we have learned through that (CIT) training, the individual kind of dictates (what happens),” he said. “We can usually tell pretty quick how in crisis these individuals are. We can talk until we are blue in the face.
“In this instance, it just kind of felt like we weren’t getting anywhere, but he was still talking.
“His final actions really were, I guess, kind of a shock,” Bammann said.
The chief praised the work of all parties involved, including the HNT and ASORT teams, dispatchers and other law enforcement agencies.
“We are very fortunate in this county to have the relationships we have,” the chief said.
He said counseling was being provided to all of the officers involved. The four ASORT team members who fired their weapons are on paid administrative leave while the incident is investigated by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
“That is something that I am glad has changed in law enforcement … correct concern for the officers’ mental health (after such an incident). We go to great strides to make sure that (help is provided to) the officers … and their families … because this doesn’t just affect the officers. It’s their families they go home to, also,” the chief said.
“We make sure we provide for all of them in these tense moments.”
