Police identify officer who shot armed man
BY JARREL WADE World Staff Writer
Friday, March 18, 2011
3/18/11 at 5:36 AM
Tulsa police released new details Thursday about the fatal shooting of a man who reportedly pointed a gun at an officer when police tried to stop him at an apartment complex.
Officer Mark Wollmershauser Jr., 29, remains on routine administrative leave in connection with the shooting of Marvin Dion Alexander on Wednesday afternoon, Officer Leland Ashley said.
Tulsa police officers and a U.S. marshal were conducting a pedestrian check near the entrance of the Fairmont Terrace apartment complex, in the 1100 block of East 60th Street, about 3:15 p.m. Wednesday, Ashley said.
Two officers attempted to stop Alexander, 31, but he started running away, police said.
Alexander scuffled briefly with the marshal, but he broke free and continued to run through the complex, Ashley said the preliminary investigation revealed.
Alexander ran through the breezeway of an apartment building with one officer and the marshal following, Ashley said. As he ran, one of the officers saw him reach for something, and the officer yelled that the man had a gun, Ashley said.
Wollmershauser then came around the corner of a building and saw Alexander reaching for something as he ran out of the breezeway, police said.
Wollmershauser saw Alexander grab a handgun and point it at him, so he fired at Alexander, striking him at least once, Ashley said reports indicate.
A gun was found at the scene with Alexander, Ashley said.
The Medical Examiner's Office's investigation is not complete, so it is not yet known how many times he was shot.
Alexander was charged in Wagoner County in 2009 with possession of a controlled substance with an intent to distribute, assault with a dangerous weapon and resisting an officer.
He received a 12-year suspended sentence and credit for time served, according to court records.
He was arrested in January for failure to appear in court in relation to those charges and subsequently was released.
He also has drug convictions from 1996 in Muskogee County, according to Department of Corrections records.
Alexander also served 15 months on a Tulsa County burglary conviction, according to court and DOC records.
Ashley said detectives will investigate the shooting as they would any other homicide.
A police shooting then is investigated to determine whether it was within departmental policy and is reviewed by the department's Shooting Review Board.
World Staff Writer Nicole Marshall contributed to this story.
Jarrel Wade 918-581-8367
jarrel.wade@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
Slain
Marvin Dion Alexander: Officer Mark Wollmerhauser Jr. is said to have fired when he saw Alexander point a handgun at him after a chase through the Fairmont Terrace apartment complex.
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