Man who had slashed neck before being shot by police died of gunshot wounds, autopsy report shows

The release of the autopsy report clears up Mark Allen Kelley’s cause of death: At the time of the shooting, police said they weren’t sure whether the man had died from the gunshot wounds or from self-inflicted knife injuries.

Kelley’s left jugular vein was injured as he apparently cut himself with the knife, according to the report, but his left carotid artery was “uninvolved.” The report lists the knife wounds as a “significant medical condition” but identifies the “multiple gunshot wounds” as Kelley’s probable cause of death.

Three officers, Amy Jensen, 25, Mitchell Franklin, 44, and Rashena Smith, 26, returned to work this month after the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office found no wrongdoing related to the shooting. The three officers fired 18 shots at the 45-year-old man, who homicide Sgt. Dave Walker said was 20 feet from officers when he was shot in the 300 block of North Gilcrease Museum Road.

Kelley, according to police, was advancing toward the officers with an 8-inch knife he had already used on himself when he was shot eight times — once in the left chin, once in the right upper chest, once in the right chest, twice in the left chest, once in the right upper abdomen, once in the left part of his back and once in the back of his left leg.

The gunshot wounds resulted in significant damage to both of Kelley’s lungs, as well as his liver and several ribs. The gunshot wound Kelley took to his leg fractured his left femur, and the bullet that entered his chin fractured his mandible and damaged multiple teeth.

Kelley’s brother said the day of the shooting that his brother had moved in with him recently after going through a bad breakup and had no history of alcohol or drug use and no history of violence.

Kelley had never been charged with a felony, according to district court records, and had no drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of the shooting.