Details into the officer-involved shooting that killed a 72-year-old woman are coming to light via the affidavit for a man arrested in the incident.
According to police reports, dead is 72-year-old Geraldine Townsend. Her son, 50-year-old Mike Anthony Livingston, was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, paraphernalia, possession of firearm or weapon in commission of felony and feloniously possessing firearm.
According to the case’s probable cause affidavit, the case began around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday, when Bartlesville Police Department officers served a search warrant at a residence in the 1600 block of SW Maple.
The warrant was reportedly pursuant to a surveillance on the residence that reportedly revealed that a “hand to hand transaction” had taken place. Police stopped the vehicle that had left the residence and “marijuana was recovered.”
When police arrived to serve the search warrant, they said they observed “surveillance cameras on the front of the residence.”
Reportedly six officers had been involved in the service and, when officers announced “police department search warrant,” officers said they heard shouting from inside the house and used a “door ram tool” to make entry into the residence. Authorities could “smell the odor of marijuana” immediately and recognized Livingston in the living room. He was then ordered to the ground and he reportedly complied.
At that point, police heard “loud popping sounds” and one officer said he felt something hit his right leg and felt a “sharp burning sensation” in his thigh. He said he then heard more “popping” noises, and “one additional louder bang.”
According to BPD Capt. Jay Hastings, the shots came from Townsend.
“Officers observed Geraldine Townsend pointing what appeared to be a semi-automatic handgun at them and one officer returned fire striking Townsend once in the upper body,” Hastings said.
One of the officers and Townsend were transported to Jane Phillips Medical Center, where Townsend later died from her injuries. The officer reportedly received a facial injury and underwent surgery Thursday morning to remove a projectile.
The report stated that police found several baggies of marijuana, one of which was packaged similar to the one they recovered in the traffic stop.
“A silver revolver type handgun” was also reportedly found on the floor an addition to two other “CO2 BB/Pellet Guns.”
Upon arrival at the jail, Livingston reportedly said “he would be getting out of jail soon and was going to track drug task force officers down and kill them all.” Further, he reportedly said “he was going to kill their children as well.”
The investigation is currently in the hands of the OSBI and will be handed over to the Washington County district attorney for review.
Bond was set in the case at $500,000.