Police: Man With Knife Shot, Killed By Tulsa Officer

<p>Police say a man armed with a knife threw a screwdriver at police who then shot and killed him Sunday night.</p>

Monday, July 18th 2016, 7:42 am

By: Joseph Holloway

Police: Man With Knife Shot, Killed By Tulsa Officer

Police say a man armed with a knife threw a screwdriver at police who then shot and killed him Sunday night.

Tulsa Police say it started as an altercation at a home in the 2700 block of East Oklahoma Place near Pine and Lewis.

A man called 911 saying another man was using two knives trying to get inside the home. Police say officers arrived around 8:15 p.m. and saw the man standing in the front yard. They say he ran to the back.

Police said the man had a large knife and wouldn't drop it. They tried to Tase him, but the Taser didn't connect. The suspect threw what police believed to be a knife at two of the officers. Police said they later determined it was a screwdriver.

The third officer, Officer Stephen Blaylock, shot and killed 43-year-old Michael Ray Ramsey Jr. Police said in an update Monday morning that Ramsey had a large, straight-bladed knife with him when he was taken into custody.

Sergeant Shane Tuell said knives and screw drivers are sharp enough to penetrate their protective gear.

"Our vests are made to withstand blunt force, that of a firearm. Anything that's edged is considered an edged weapon can defeat most vests," he said.

We've learned the suspect and homeowner knew each other and had met in jail, according to TPD.

Firefighters did chest compressions, but Ramsey later died at the hospital.

Police haven't said in which part of his body the suspect was shot or how many shots were fired.

Police said the 28-year-old officer is on paid administrative leave pending the results of an investigation. He has been on the force since December ,2011

We the People Oklahoma, a community advocacy group calling for law enforcement transparency, called on TPD to conduct a blood test of the officer.

TPD says there's no reason to believe the officer was under the influence at the time. The department spokesman says they were just doing their job.

Tuell said, "If we retreat, we're leaving those individuals at the house who's called for our help."

The Tulsa County district attorney is now investigating.

We the People Oklahoma urged Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler to recuse himself and for state - not local - law enforcement to investigate.

"We don't believe a county should investigate themselves because of their daily working relationships with each other," said Marq Lewis, We the People Oklahoma.

We called the DA's office, but have not heard back from them.