An investigation is under way after a Shawnee police officer shot and killed a knife-wielding man early Monday morning.
Police responded to a 911 hang-up call about 1:18 a.m. from an apartment at 622 N. Park.
Jessica Brown, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, said officers arrived and were greeted by a woman who didn’t call, but reported that a man, her neighbor, had tried to break into her apartment with a knife.
Two Shawnee officers went to the man’s apartment and he opened the door with a knife in hand, she said.
The knife-wielding man was told numerous times to drop the weapon, Brown said, as the incident unfolded in what was a narrow apartment hallway.
“He started running toward the officers,” Brown said. “One fired twice, striking him in the torso.”
The man, identified as Russell Thomas McCann, 40, died at the scene, she said.
Police had recent dealings with this man, Brown said, as he had been taken into custody twice in the past six months for Emergency Orders of Detention, which are for mental evaluation.
Shawnee Police Chief Russell Frantz said since the incident involved an officer, he requested the OSBI to handle this investigation.
The officer’s name was not being released since that officer is part of the investigation, Brown said.
The officer was placed on routine paid administrative leave pending the outcome of this investigation.
Brown said the district attorney has been briefed and all case reports from the probe will be forwarded to that office, which will determine if the officer was justified in using deadly force.
Frantz said this incident was an unfortunate set of circumstances.
“Anytime there’s a loss of life, it’s always a tragedy,” the chief said. “Our first priority is to try to protect life. It’s a sad day when a life has to be taken.”
According to Pottawatomie County court records, McCann’s past dealings with law enforcement also included a 2007 felony charge of transferring bodily fluid on a government employee.
In that case, McCann was accused of throwing blood from his wrist onto the face of a Shawnee police officer, court records show. McCann pleaded guilty in that matter, and received a one-year deferred sentence.
Watch for updates as this investigation continues.
