A warrant execution in Greenwood on Wednesday, March 11 resulted in an officer-involved shooting. The incident occurred around 1:30 PM on Wheatfield Road.
Delaware State Police along with members of the Sex Offender Apprehension and Registration (SOAR) Unit, Troop 4 Criminal Investigations Unit and the Special Operations Response Team (SORT) responded to the address to execute a search warrant and arrest Jeffrey Mitchem, 65. The search and arrest warrant stemmed from notification by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Threat Operations Center that Mitchem had made threatening online posts.
According to the FBI notification, Mitchem posted what appeared to be a black handgun to a State Police SOAR detective, along with an image of a coffin. Additional, Mitchem was wanted by Arlington County Police Department in Virginia for felony terroristic threatening.
When troopers arrived, Mitchem barricaded himself in his camper and refused to come out. The DSP Crisis Management Team established contact with him, but he repeatedly refused commands to surrender. Mitchem threatened that he had a large amount of gunpowder and was holding the trigger to detonate. He could be seen spreading what appeared to be an unknown powdery substance inside the camper while keeping one hand hidden inside. Mitchem stepped outside, still with one hand hidden, supporting the threat that he intended to blow up the camper.
A trooper fired a single shot, hitting Mitchem in the arm. Following the shot, Mitchem threw a handgun out of the camper, exited and was taken into custody without further incident. Troopers provided first aid until emergency medical professionals arrived and Mitchem was taken to an area hospital with serious injuries.
In accordance with DSP protocol, the Homicide Unit assumed the investigation. Preliminarily, detectives determined that the black handgun Mitchem threw from the camper was an airsoft pistol or replica of a Walther PPS M2 firearm. A search of the camper revealed that Mitchem had placed a 6.5-inch wooden-handled hunting-style knife near the entrance where he was standing before being forced to surrender. Mitchem is prohibited from possessing a deadly weapon due to prior felony convictions. The DSP Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit confirmed the unknown powdery substance was not explosive.
Mitchem remained hospitalized as of Monday, March 16. He was arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 11 on charges of possession o fa deadly weapon by a person prohibited; 19 counts of intent to threaten the life or threaten severe physical injury to a public official or public servant; and resisting arrest. He was turned over to the custody of the Delaware Department of Correction on a $43,000 secured bond.
The trooper involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave while a use-of-force investigation is conducted in collaboration with the Delaware Department of Justice’s Division of Civil Rights and Public Trust. The investigation is still active, and detectives ask anyone with information to contact Detective M. Csapo at 302-741-2729.
Information may also be provided by sending a private Facebook message or through Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333.
NOTE:Â All persons named in this report are considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
