Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Matthew Neal Mitchell
Age : 22
Gender : Male
Race : White
Date : 07/24/2022
Location : 5000 S Grove Street
City : Englewood
County : Arapahoe
State : Colorado
Agency : Englewood Police Department
Officer(s) :Aaron Jarrett, Trey Sammon, Dirk Smith, Adam Wright
Cause of Death : Gunshot
Event : Killed by police during mental health crisis
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 07/24/2022, Englewood Police Department officers responded to a home in the 5000 block of South Grove Street after Matthew Neal Mitchell's mother called 911 requesting help for her 22-year-old son, who was intoxicated, suicidal, and had access to multiple firearms. According to investigators, Mitchell had threatened to kill himself and had recently been involved in a domestic disturbance with family members. Officers attempted to communicate with Mitchell from outside the home for more than an hour while crisis negotiators and additional resources responded. During the standoff, Mitchell remained inside the residence with his 27-year-old brother, Phillip Blankenship.
According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Mitchell eventually fired a shot from inside the residence toward officers outside. Four Englewood officers—Aaron Jarrett, Trey Sammon, Dirk Smith, and Adam Wright—returned fire, discharging dozens of rounds into the home. After the shooting stopped, officers entered the residence and found Mitchell dead from gunshot wounds. They also found Phillip Blankenship critically wounded. Blankenship, who was unarmed, had been struck by police gunfire and was transported to a hospital, where he later died. Investigators concluded that Blankenship was unintentionally struck by officers' bullets during the exchange of gunfire.
The 18th Judicial District Critical Incident Response Team, led by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, investigated the shooting. Body-worn camera footage and other video were publicly released in August 2022. In January 2023, the 18th Judicial District Attorney concluded that the officers' use of deadly force against Mitchell was legally justified under Colorado law because investigators determined he had fired at officers. The District Attorney also concluded that the officers were criminally justified despite the death of Blankenship, finding that his death resulted from officers lawfully responding to the perceived deadly threat posed by Mitchell.
In July 2024, Phillip Blankenship's family filed a federal wrongful death and civil rights lawsuit against the City of Englewood and the officers involved, alleging the officers used excessive and reckless force by firing into the residence while knowing an uninvolved person remained inside. The lawsuit seeks damages for Blankenship's death and challenges the tactics used during the standoff. I found no lawsuit filed on behalf of Matthew Mitchell's estate.
SOURCE LINKS :
https://kdvr.com/news/local/englewood-police-shooting-matthew-mitchell-phillip-blankenship/
https://coloradosun.com/2022/08/29/englewood-police-shooting-body-camera-footage/
