Blackwell Police Lt. John Mitchell indicted in May shooting death
Beverly Bryant - November 22, 2019 1:04 pm
A May shooting spree ended in the death of a woman who had been firing shots at several locations from her truck. (Photo by Wendy Spence)
BLACKWELL — Blackwell Police Lieutenant John Mitchell was indicted on a count of second-degree murder Thursday by a multi-county grand jury.
The indictment accuses Mitchell, 40, of causing the death of pickup drive Micheal Ann Godsey on May 20. Mitchell is accused of firing approximately 60 rounds at Godsey as she drove through Blackwell firing shots from her vehicle at several locations early that morning.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation was called in that day by the Blackwell Police Department to investigate the incident, interview witnesses, collect and analyze evidence.
The incident began at approximately 3 a.m. May 20 when the Blackwell Police Department received calls that shots were fired and a vehicle had been struck in the 1300 block of South Main in Blackwell. Officers arrived and began working the scene. Shortly thereafter, dispatch received additional calls of shots being fired from a white pickup truck at various locations around town.
Officers located the pickup truck and a pursuit began and shots were exchanged. Eventually the pickup came to a stop at 13th and Doolin Avenue. When officers approached the truck, they found 34-year-old Micheal Ann Godsey deceased in the driver seat. She was the only passenger in the truck.
Mitchell and another Blackwell police officer were involved in the shooting. One sustained minor injuries in the incident. Both were placed on paid administrative leave.
Grand jurors concluded Mitchell acted without justifiable or excusable cause and engaged in “imminently dangerous conduct” toward Godsey. If convicted, he faces at least 10 years in prison.
An article in The Oklahoman today said defense attorney Gary James said Mitchell acted lawfully to stop a threat.
The attorney described the suspect as a “violent, fleeing felon.”
“She shot at the police twice. She has shot at her mother twice. She has shot at a private citizen. We know she fired other rounds around town. And Mitchell gets in behind her,” the attorney said. “He took his AR-15 and he started shooting through the front windshield at her.”
Both Mitchell and the other officer fired further after the pickup abruptly turned and stopped, the attorney said.
