Man suspected of stabbing 3 officers in SWAT standoff identified

COUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Friday, the Franklin County coroner's office identified the man suspected of injuring three Columbus SWAT officers.

Benjamin Wheeler, 40, is suspected of injuring the officers in a standoff on the west side Thursday night. He was eventually shot and killed.

Fraternal Order of Police Capital City Lodge 9 President Brian Steel said all three officers who were injured are out of the hospital.

“Officers are killed in the country all the time over stabbing. It's lucky that these officers weren't killed last night," Steel said.

He said they are in good spirits and the whole division rallies around them when something like this happens. Steel referred to the Columbus Division of Police for more detailed information about how this situation escalated, but they have been very limited with what they’ve shared.

Court records show a warrant was out for Wheeler's arrest for failing to supply child support.

Police say this incident started with a domestic violence call around 4:30 Thursday afternoon on Cherryberry Drive. Steel said the SWAT officers were outside the home for hours trying to get Wheeler to come out. 

He said it is his understanding that one SWAT officer was stabbed, then some time went by. Steel said when they decided to make full entry into the home, two more officers were stabbed before another fired their weapon.

“They do these entries, these barricades, hundreds of them a year. 99.9% of the time, they peacefully bring their the person goes in peacefully and they don't have to even lay hands on them. But unfortunately, in this situation, the individual attacked them, assaulted them and one of the officers was forced to return fire,” Steel said.

CPD is not releasing the names of the officers involved they say due to Marsy's law. They did say that each of the officers involved have at least 20 years of experience serving the community. The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation is investigating this incident.