PRESS RELEASE:

On Thursday, at 5:28 PM, Mansfield Police Officers were dispatched to 300 wood St, Apt. A-1, in reference to a 911 hang-up call. Upon arrival, officers heard an individual yelling for help. As officers approached the apartment they encountered a male with a knife in front of apartment A-8. Officers immediately began to give verbal commands for the suspect to drop the knife. The suspect refused to comply with officers as he advanced towards the apartment window that he began to break out. An officer then attempted to utilize a taser, which had no effect. The suspect then began to enter the apartment through the broken window, while still armed with the knife, all while a victim was still yelling for help inside the apartment. Officers then discharged their firearms at the suspect as he was re-entering the apartment. Officers then forced entry into the apartment at which time the suspect again confronted the officers with a knife, resulting in the officers having to fire their weapons, striking the suspect. Neither officer was injured during the incident, the suspect was pronounced dead at 7:45pm.

This is the information gathered during this initial phase of the investigation and there is no additional information to release at this time. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation (Ohio BCI) has been requested to investigate the officer-involved shooting. The officers involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave per Division policy. The officers involved were Officer Mark Boggs, who joined the Mansfield Division of Police on November 14, 2016, and Officer Clay Blair, who joined the Mansfield Division of Police on November 14, 2019.

The suspect’s name is being withheld pending notification to the family. The stabbing victim is a 31-year-old African American male who suffered multiple stab wounds and is currently being treated at Ohio Health Mansfield.

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