WELLINGTON, Ohio — Officials in Wellington released bodycam footage Monday showing an officer shooting a man who approached police with a knife during an incident on Courtland Street on Saturday night.
The man shot has been identified as 37-year-old Scott Baker. He is currently in stable condition at MetroHealth Medical Center.
During a briefing, Wellington Police Chief Tim Barfield stated that they had several calls come in that day from a neighbor stating that someone was breaking glass next door. No one else was in the house besides Baker. Barfield added that officers have responded to calls for issues at that address 19 times since October of 2021 for a variety of reasons, including mental health.
A review of the bodycam video shows that at 6:26 p.m., an officer reported that Baker was throwing items, including a table, at her. One minute later, Baker came storming out of the house carrying a knife. Officers are heard warning Baker to put down the weapon.
As he was running towards officers in the street, police attempted to subdue Baker by deploying a Taser. It did not work. Baker continued to approach the officers with his knife, while officers shouted to him to put it down. At 6:27 p.m., Baker was shot by an officer, who then immediately called for backup and ambulance. None of the officers involved were injured.
The case is being handled by the Lorain County Sheriff's Office and the officers involved have been placed on paid administrative leave per Wellington Police Department policy.
CAUTION: The below bodycam footage contains disturbing images and explicit language.
"This is hard," Barfield said of the incident, which is only the second officer-involved shooting in the history of the Wellington Police Department, and the first since 1959. "I love my people. And to watch this happen to my people is hard. This is the part I don't think we get enough credit for. We're asked to do impossible things. We're asked to be superhuman."
You can watch Monday's briefing from Wellington Police Chief Tim Barfield and Wellington Mayor Hans Schneider below:
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