Officer shoots, injures man wielding a knife in Wellington

 A Wellington police officer shot a man who wielded a knife during a confrontation with officers, according to a body camera video   released Monday.

The officer who fired the shot Saturday evening then provided first aid to Scott Bakker, 37, of Courtland Street, the video shows. The officer repeatedly told Bakker that he would not die and offered to pray with him.

On Monday, Bakker was in stable condition at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland with a gunshot to the abdomen, according to police.

The officers went to the home shortly after 6 p.m. Saturday after neighbors called police and described Bakker’s erratic behavior, as he had broken a window at his home.

Tim Barfield, Wellington’s police chief, released a video of the shooting, which showed Bakker come out of his home with a knife and walk quickly toward an officer.

One of the officers fired a Taser that pierced Bakker’s back, but he continued toward them with the knife in his left hand, according to the video. The police chief told reporters that Bakker appeared to want a confrontation with the officers.

After firing her weapon, the officer told Bakker repeatedly to toss the knife aside. She then grabbed a red towel and applied pressure to his stomach, according to the video.

Barfield told reporters that police have responded 19 times to Bakker’s home in recent years. He said Wellington officers haven’t fired their weapons at a suspect since 1959.

Wellington is a village of about 5,000 residents in western Lorain County, where Ohio state routes 18 and 58 intersect. It is surrounded by large farms and is home to the Lorain County Fair.

Lorain County sheriff’s detectives are investigating the shooting. The two officers involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave. After detectives investigate the case, it is expected to go to county prosecutors, who are expected to take it it to a grand jury.