Mallett’s aunt Arletta McCrimmon, 58, said that her nephew moved from Tennessee to Columbus to live with her in January.

By IKE MGBATOGU

Contributing Writer

COLUMBUS – Donte Dunnagan, 36, a financial aid assistant at Miami-Jacobs Career College and Jeffery Maloon, 53, an assistant attorney general both lived to tell the story of a day they never expected would turn out the way it did.

It involves a scary incident that played out last week in Downtown Columbus where a man decided it was time to go on a stabbing binge.

Apparently, the multiple knives wielding assailant, later identified as 37 year old John W. Mallett, pranced around inside the Continental Center on Gay Street at about 12:40 p.m. slashing people, indiscriminately, causing utter pandemonium on a day many eyewitnesses described as a “beautiful day.”

Unfortunately, that “beautiful day” quickly turned into a nightmare for those who saw the incident. Eyewitnesses told the police that Mallett dressed scraggly and disheveled and didn’t really fit the typical blend of Downtown mix of workers and students who frequent the building, which is home to Miami-Jacobs, a popular trade school, and offices to several other entities.

Eyewitnesses, donning a collective dismay from the incident, said they saw Mallett loitering aimlessly inside the building before sauntering over to the information and security desk seeking direction to Miami-Jacobs school.

It turned out to be a direction to mayhem.

Because soon after that uneventful inquiry, all hell broke loose as the deadpanned Mallett suddenly snapped, unleashing a cold-blooded tirade during which he stabbed people nearby Miami-Jacobs offices, leaving a trail of bloodied victims in his path.

However, Mallett was later shot by police officers after he refused orders to put down his weapons and surrender.

And when the dust settled, four men were drenched in blood after sustaining severe stab wounds. They were rushed to area hospitals, some to the nearby Grant Medical Center and others to Mt. Carmel West.

The knife wielding Mallett, also in critical condition, was rushed to Wexner Medical Center at The Ohio State University for treatment.

Investigation of the incident is continuing, said Police Spokesman Sgt. Rich Weiner, who also noted that it was immediately unclear the motive for the multiple stabbings.

Eyewitnesses provided a surreal account of the horror, describing the blasé demeanor of Mallett who ended up being a frighteningly human hand-grenade.

“He moved as if he didn’t care,” said one witness. “He didn’t care if he was going to kill or if he would be killed.”

Dunnagan, for sure didn’t want to be killed, knew that as a professional wrestler, he wasn’t going to watch a stabbing spree proceed without making an effort to intervene and save lives, either. He fought Mallett and took one knife away from him. However, the attacker had three other knifes, one which was used to stab him in the arm.

Soon after the scuffle, Mallett scooted out of the building and met approaching officers on the street, where another confrontation ensued. It was unclear if he was hit with a Taser by the officers before ordering him to drop his knives.

They shot him repeatedly after he refused to do so.

Mallett’s aunt Arletta McCrimmon, 58, said that her nephew moved from Tennessee to Columbus to live with her in January. She said that he was having a rough time in Tennessee and she brought him there to get a fresh start. But she also noted that Mallett is schizophrenic, wasn’t always taking his medication, and would not go to see his doctor.

. He can be reached by email at Onumbamedia@yahoo.com