ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — A mom who called police for help with one son is seeking help understanding how the help she called is responsible for the death of her other son.
Kimberly Mitchell called 911 on July 24, 2022, about her son, Phillip Blankenship. A short time later, her other son, Matthew Mitchell, was shot and killed by police
“I called for help for a suicidal party and wound up with my younger son murdered,” Kimberly Mitchell said.
She is speaking out for the first time, wanting answers and honesty.
“Because I want to know what happened. I want to know why my son is no longer here anymore,” Mitchell said. “There’s something in my heart saying you can’t be quiet about it anymore. Maybe it’s Matthew saying, 'Speak up for me, speak up for me.”
Life around her kitchen table used to revolve around family and food.
“The only thing he wanted for Christmas [in 2021] was a piece of meat, to make Beef Wellington,” Mitchell said. “We have not eaten that well since he’s passed. It’s microwave this or microwave that.”
Life around her kitchen table today is consumed by Matthew’s death.
“This is Matthew’s death certificate. This is my request for the release of information. I have the autopsy report. Arrest warrants. This is the incident detail report,” Mitchell said.
Her kitchen table is now of binders full of documents detailing the events of July 24, 2022, the investigative interviews, court transcripts and reports that have been produced since her son was killed.
“And when I look at his death certificate and I see ‘homicide,’ it’s murder. That’s murder. It doesn’t say accident,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell called 911 after her son had fired a gun in the house.
“My older son was having a mental health issue. He wanted to die that night. And I called for help,” Mitchell said.
After calling police, Mitchell and her mom got out of the house, but Matthew stayed inside.
“And I said, ‘Matthew, come on.’ And he wouldn’t leave. So, he opened the door and he walked into Phillip’s bedroom, and the last thing he said to me was, ‘it’ll be alright,’” Mitchell said.
Details of his death have been limited because a judge issued a gag order.
Phillip, the one with the gun, fired twice at officers when they were outside the home.
Two officers, Dirk Smith and Aaron Jarrett, shot a total of 23 times into the house.
Matthew was found shot and killed inside.
“They don’t want to take responsibility for shooting an innocent person,” Mitchell said. “He did not want Phillip to hurt himself. That’s the only reason he stayed in the house. And he wound up losing his life to save his brother’s.”
On Friday, a judge approved the release of a five-month-old investigative report that found the two officers justified in the shooting.
It said, “I conclude Officer Smith reasonably feared for the lives of his fellow officers when he fired his rifle and most likely killed Mr. Mitchell.”
“He’s 22,” she said, “I don’t see him as Mr. Mitchell.”
She said she thought the report might bring closure.
“I thought it would. But it raised more questions,” Mitchell said.
The kitchen table that now consumes her son’s death is just feet away from where his life ended.
“The walls have been repaired, the windows have been replaced, the floor has been replaced,” Mitchell said. “There’s life here that happened. Not only death, but a lot of life, a lot of good times happened right here. Christmas, birthdays, meals, jokes. A lot of laughs right here.”
As of Monday night, the city of Englewood had not responded to questions regarding the two officers or the investigative report saying the shooting was legally justified.
A city spokesman said that the city leaders were working on Monday, Juneteenth, but said that the response was currently with the city attorney.
Previously, the city had refused to comment citing the gag order. However, that gag order prevented “any lawyer or legal representative associated with this case” from talking about the case. That did not bind the city manager, mayor or city attorney from speaking.
Mitchell said she wants “accountability” and “transparency.”
“I’ve reached out. No comment. No comment,” Mitchell said. “I want to sit down, have an honest conversation. They can talk to me; they just choose not to talk to me.”
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