TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo police released information on Monday regarding the fatal shooting of Kwamaine O'Neal, who was struck by 19 rounds from four officers early Saturday morning after he pointed a weapon at police who were called out to his residence on a report of domestic violence.
Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz opened a news conference Monday afternoon that released the 911 call placed by the mother of O'Neal's child and the bodycam footage of the shooting by officers.
WARNING: GRAPHIC POLICE BODYCAM VIDEO; VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED
Before Toledo police arrived at the Weiler Homes residence on Leach Avenue on Saturday, an angry and distraught O'Neal, 47, posted a Facebook Live video in which he threatened violence against anyone who arrived at the home, said he would not go to jail, asked his aunt to come and get his daughter, and commented, "Tonight I might be signing my death certificate."
A family member confirmed to WTOL 11 that the man who was shot to death was Kwamaine O'Neal, originally of Paterson, N.J.
In a discussion with WTOL 11, a TPD spokesperson acknowledged the existence of the Facebook Live video and police learned of the video after the incident. Police had not released the identity of the man who was shot and killed prior to Monday's news conference.
WATCH | EXCERPTS OF KWAMAINE O'NEAL FACEBOOK LIVE VIDEO
Toledo Police Chief George Kral said four officers were involved in the fatal shooting and all of them fired their weapons. None of the officers involved has previous disciplinary actions in their files.
The officers were identified as Officers Michael Benninghoff, William Clark, Grant Parton and Brandon Burton. They are on paid administrative leave, which is standard procedure following an incident such as this.
O'Neal was struck by bullets 19 times and officers fired 32 rounds, Kral said. O'Neal did not shoot his weapon.
"We are not trained to shoot to wound," Kral said. "We are taught to shoot center mass. If you try to shoot an arm or leg, you're gonna miss."
"Sadly, I think this is the ending that (O'Neal) wanted," Kral said, based on the sentiments in the Facebook Live video that O'Neal had posted.
"Deescalation is always the goal," Kral said, "but this person took that goal out of our hands. He brought a gun to a fight and that's how this ended."
Kral said that officers knocked at the residence door and no one inside answered. He said officers, fearing for the safety of the woman and child inside, then kicked in the door and announced their presence and were met by a belligerent O'Neal.
The 911 call, which was garbled and difficult to understand at times, featured a woman who said she called for assistance because the intoxicated father of her child had injured her head in a fight. The dispatcher asked the woman if the man, identified by the caller as Kwamaine O'Neal, knew that the woman called 911 and she said no. The dispatcher calmed her down and got information on the suspect from the woman. The woman at one point said she wanted to take back the 911 call and not have police come out, but the dispatcher notified her that that could not be done because the law mandates that once a call is made, units will come out.
O'Neal's criminal history includes aggravated assault on a police officer, drug possession, receiving stolen property, assault, terroristic threats, resisting arrest and illegal possession of a firearm.
Police also had been called out to the Leach Avenue residence three times in the last year, with O'Neal calling in a missing person report on his girlfriend (March 6), an anonymous neighbor calling after allegedly hearing two males and a female arguing, and O'Neal's girlfriend calling in a menacing regarding an unknown man who allegedly threatened to kill her when she asked him to leave the front of her residence and he refused.
Kral played the bodycam video from Benninghoff's camera, saying it showed the best angle, and then showed stills that showed O'Neal pointing an illegal gun at officers.
The gun had an extended magazine and held 21 rounds, Kral said. Kral said that O'Neal had the gun at a "high ready" position pointed at police.
Kapszukiewicz said when he saw the bodycam footage, his reaction was one of "sadness. ... To see him die like that is heartbreaking. However, I know that if our officers had not responded the way they did, damage up to and including death could have happened to the woman or that 4-month-old baby. This story has no happy endings."
WATCH | FULL TPD NEWS CONFERENCE
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE
Authorities on the scene Saturday told WTOL 11 that 911 received a call from a woman who was crying and whispering that her child's father had become violent with her.
In a longer than eight-minute call, the victim told dispatchers she locked herself in the bathroom, that the suspect was intoxicated and he injured her head while continuing to threaten her, police added.
Four police officers responded around 12:51 a.m. and heard a commotion inside the building. They could hear the suspect yelling at the victim as they knocked on the door, according to a police press release.
The press release also states the officers instructed the suspect to open the door while they continued to hear him make homicidal and suicidal statements from outside.
According to police, officers entered the home using force, fearing for the woman's safety, and announced themselves as police officers. Police say, at that point, the suspect came down the stairs making suicidal statements while holding a gun and pointing it at officers.
"At least one officer fired at the suspect, ending the threat," the Toledo police press release read.
Police say officers checked on the victim's safety and proceeded to begin CPR on the suspect. Since Toledo Fire and Rescue Department crews were on the scene due to the victim's initial statements, crews were called inside the house to provide medical aid to the woman and suspect.
The suspect died on the scene.
O'Neal's brother, Christopher Boyd, told WTOL 11 that he was on the phone with his brother phone during an argument between O'Neal and his girlfriend, and he heard the doorbell ringing. Boyd said he heard the door open and heard "shots fired immediately."
Boyd said he didn't hear them announce they were police while he was on the phone with his brother. Police, however, say that they did knock on the door and instructed the man to open the door, all while hearing the man inside make homicidal and suicidal statements. At that point, police forced entry because they were concerned for the woman's safety.
Police say the suspect pointed a gun at officers and confirm at least one officer fired at the suspect multiple times. This officer and any other who may have fired at the victim will be placed on paid administrative leave per an agreement between the police department and the Toledo Police Patrolmans' Association.
Nobody involved in the incident (the officer who fired at the suspect, the suspect, or the victim) has been identified by law enforcement authorities.
On Saturday, Lucas Metropolitan Housing, which administers Weiler Homes, released a statement on the incident.
According to the Director of Security Operations, John McGuire, LMH is collaborating with TPD and the city of Toledo Administration to obtain and verify what happened.
LMH also said they are assisting the female resident with alternative housing and grief counseling.
If you or someone you know is threatened by domestic violence, in addition to calling local authorities, you can reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or visit thehotline.org
They also said they will be offering grief counseling to neighbors and families who have been affected.
REACTION FROM NEIGHBORS
One neighbor who doesn't know the suspect or victim said gunshots and violent behavior like this aren't anything new at the apartments.
"Been out here 12 years and I just try to make my apartment itself feel like a mansion and block anyone else completely," said one nearby neighbor who did not want to be identified. "I mean it's kind of hard with everything going on. You never know when something's going to come through your window."
LMH said the housing authority is working hard to add more security officers to their mobile patrol unit.
The housing authority has an agreement with Toledo police and the Lucas County Sheriff's Office, which help patrol public housing.
John McGuire with LMH said the safety and security department is relatively new, having been created in the last two years.
One neighbor stressed that police did what they had to with the situation.
"I feel like they're doing the best they can to protect someone," she said. "Yes someone may have been hurt or dead due to the situation but they saved a life out of it as well."
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