In a recent release of body-worn camera footage by Columbus police, a tense standoff between SWAT officers and 40-year-old Benjamin Wheeler ended tragically last week. According to ABC 6, officers arrived at the 800 block of Cherryberry Drive after Wheeler's parents called 911, describing him as "irate" and refusing to take his medication for mental disorders.
Details surrounding the incident clarify that Wheeler's stepfather was the one who called 911 on August 1, indicating a threat from his stepson. In a report by WBNS, body camera footage captured Wheeler stepping out of the house and pronouncing, "Martial law has been declared", before retreating. Despite the officers' attempts at negotiation, Wheeler remained in his house and later re-emerged, suggesting he might be armed. An officer, having blood on his arm after being stabbed, reportedly said, "He's got a gun."
As the situation escalated, additional police cruisers and SWAT units were called to the scene. In their ongoing attempt to resolve the situation peacefully, officers used a loudspeaker to communicate with Wheeler, but to no avail. This account was confirmed in further details revealed by NBC4i, highlighting the parents' initial request for police assistance to hospitalize Wheeler for safety concerns.
Finally, the standoff reached its climax, as confirmed by the released body camera footage. When SWAT officers made another approach at around 9:21 p.m., Wheeler, seen with a knife in his kitchen, was engaged. An officer, upon being stabbed in the leg, can be heard in the released footage moments before tasers and gunshots ended the standoff. "Tasers were deployed and shots were fired seconds later," according to the bodycam description by WBNS.
The released footage documents a harrowing sequence of events that led to three officers suffering stab wounds and the fatal shooting of Wheeler.
