The Kentucky State Police (KSP) Post 16 – Henderson has been requested by the Owensboro Police Department (OPD) to investigate an officer-involved shooting that happened on Dec. 21 in the city limits of Owensboro.
KSP Post 16 was contacted just after 4:00 a.m. CST on Dec. 21 regarding the incident in the 500 block of Orchard Street. Local officers were responding to a domestic disturbance call involving a man armed with a knife.
KSP reported that Owensboro Police Department (OPD) officers were dispatched to a residence on Orchard Street around 3:22 a.m. following a 911 call. The dispatcher reported hearing a woman and children crying and asking for officers to hurry.
Upon arrival, officers encountered 21-year-old Marcello C. Johnson of Owensboro inside the kitchen of his sister’s home. A release from KSP said Johnson was holding a knife, refusing to leave, and making threats toward his sister and her children, according to KSP.
After multiple verbal commands to drop the knife were ignored, OPD Officer Michael Cory Johnson, 33, and Sergeant Anthony Williams, 49, both discharged their firearms, striking Marcello Johnson, KSP said. Officers provided medical care on the scene until Johnson was transported to Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, where he was initially listed in critical but stable condition.
KSP said Johnson has since been released from the hospital and is being held at the Daviess County Detention Center. He faces charges of fourth-degree assault (domestic violence), menacing, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, and resisting arrest.
Officer Michael Cory Johnson has served with OPD for six years, while Sergeant Williams has been with the department for 16 years.
KSP investigates officer-involved shootings statewide upon request by local, state, or federal law enforcement agencies. KSP officials said their goal is to maintain transparency while protecting the integrity of the investigation. As a matter of standard practice, details are not released until all key witnesses are interviewed and pertinent facts are gathered.
Both OPD’s disturbance investigation and KSP’s review of the officer-involved shooting remain ongoing.
