Death by Cop 2021-2025
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Cole White
Age : 27
Gender : Male
Race : Black
Date : 07/24/2022
Location : 1100 block of Ashwood Dr
City : South Charleston
County : Clark
State : Ohio
Agency : Clark County SD
Officer(s) :Not Disclosed
Cause of Death : Gunshot
Event : Killed by police during investigation
OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :
On 07/24/2022, Clark County Sheriff's Office deputies responded to the Harmony Estates Mobile Home Park in the 1100 block of Ashwood Drive after receiving reports of a breaking and entering, gunfire, and a possible hostage situation. Deputies attempting to contact the occupants of the trailer were met with gunfire. During the initial exchange, Deputy Matthew Yates was shot and killed. Another member of the Sheriff's Office Special Operations Team suffered an injury to an extremity during the incident and was later released from the hospital.
The shooting developed into an hours-long standoff involving the Clark County Sheriff's Office Special Operations Team and numerous assisting agencies. Authorities repeatedly attempted to negotiate with the occupants while surrounding the trailer. Additional gunfire was exchanged during the standoff, and the trailer eventually caught fire. After the fire was extinguished, investigators entered the residence and found Cole White, 27, and Jodie Arbuckle, 47, dead inside from gunshot wounds. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation assumed responsibility for investigating both the death of Deputy Yates and the police shooting. Authorities have not publicly identified which officers fired their weapons or released a detailed account of the gunfire that resulted in White's death.
Records released after the incident showed that White's family had contacted law enforcement two days earlier requesting a welfare check because they were deeply concerned about his mental health. White was also the subject of an outstanding warrant in Greene County after failing to appear in court on felony firearm charges. White's brother told reporters that White had struggled with mental illness, describing episodes of paranoia and hallucinations in the months leading up to the shooting. Despite the extensive investigation, I found no public release identifying the deputies who fired, no detailed final investigative narrative explaining White's death, and no publicly reported civil lawsuit filed by White's family.
