Seven Toledo police officers fired 22 shots at Jason Means on Wednesday. Means’ wife, Nichole Rahmel, told WTOL 11 that she called police for help.
TOLEDO, Ohio — Seven Toledo police officers fired 22 shots at 47-year-old Jason Means on Wednesday. Along with Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, TPD interim chief Michael Troendle hosted a news conference Friday to show the public body camera footage and 911 call recordings.
Troendle said at least two officers were certified in crisis intervention training and all involved officers were working to de-escalate the situation. He claimed the officers had no choice when it came time to fire their guns.
Means’ wife, Nichole Rahmel, told WTOL 11 that she called police that night for help.
“I told them he had a mental disorder,” Rummel said. “He didn’t respond. He didn’t understand the order. Please don’t shoot him. Don’t kill him.”
Troendle claims Means has had mental health issues for years.
“The statements in the 911 call indicate that he’s been dealing with this issue since he was a teenager. He’s 47 now,” Troendle said.
Troendle said officers fired only after Means fired once, before he raised his weapon and pointed it at the officers.
“You’re talking decades to solve this problem,” Troendle said. “Instead of five minutes of interaction with police expecting them to fix a problem that’s been going on for a long time. That’s not going to happen.”
While watching the body camera footage, Troendle said he stopped counting the number of times police ordered Means to drop his weapon after 25.
He said Toledoans with firearms at home and loved ones with mental health issues should call the police to have their weapons removed.
