By KRISTI HAYES
kristi@poncacitynews.com
PERRY — The shooting case against Blackwell police lieutenant John Mitchell will go to trial.
On Wednesday, a judge in Perry in Noble County ruled there was enough probable cause evidence to proceed with a trial. Mitchell is charged with second degree murder or first degree manslaughter in the shooting death of Michael Ann Godsey, 34, during a pursuit. Mitchell was indicted by a grand jury last November because he engaged in “imminently dangerous conduct” when he shot Godsey.
Mitchell fired about 60 shots at the suspect last May. Police responded to reports of gunfire coming from a white pickup at several locations in Blackwell.
According to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, officers pursued Godsey’s truck and exchanged gunfire with her before the vehicle came to a stop. Godsey was found dead in the driver’s seat of the truck. She was the only person in the vehicle.
The court watched dash-cam video on Tuesday during the first day of the hearing. Two of Mitchell’s fellow officers also testified on Tuesday and described Godsey as someone they had encountered in the past and said Godsey had likely been experiencing mental delusions.
The man who initially called 911 about Godsey also took the stand, describing how his car was shot at and how he briefly asked her if she was OK.
Members of the Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police attended the hearing to show support for Mitchell.
Jason Smith, president of the Oklahoma FOP, issued the following statement. “The outcome of this case could determine how law enforcement is handled in the state of Oklahoma. It couldn’t be more important to us, and we want to support our brother that we believe had to do a bad thing. He had to do a horrible thing, but he had to do it to save lives.”