Ohio Mom Faces Death Threats After Viral Misunderstanding with Neighbor

DELAWARE COUNTY, Ohio — A local mother is speaking out after a viral video led to death threats against her and her family, following what she describes as a “massive misunderstanding” with her neighbor. Michelle Bishop, a mother of two, told Fox News Digital that the incident has caused significant harm to her family and businesses.

The confrontation occurred on a November evening when Bishop, accompanied by her young daughter and son, was out for a jog to view Christmas lights. Bishop said she became alarmed when a car with its headlights on began following them slowly down a poorly lit street. “I didn’t answer, I walked into— I told my daughter, ‘walk up this driveway, turn here, don’t look back at the truck,'” Bishop recalled. She sought refuge on a nearby porch, which turned out to belong to her neighbor, DaMichael Jenkins.

Ring doorbell footage captured the tense exchange, with Bishop questioning Jenkins about whether he lived there. Jenkins, a real estate developer, later posted the video on social media, where it went viral. Many viewers accused Bishop of racial profiling, a claim she vehemently denies. “I absolutely did not know what he looked like. Like I said, I thought he was a young White man,” Bishop said.

Since the video’s release, Bishop and her family have faced a barrage of hateful messages and death threats. “Our family, our businesses. We are receiving hundreds, if not thousands, of threats at this point,” she said. One message read, “You and your children deserve to die slow and you should kill yourself or it will be done for you.”

Bishop has apologized multiple times, but the Jenkins family has not accepted her apologies. She hopes to reconcile with them, saying, “I believe a love can cover a multitude of things and what happened that night was a massive misunderstanding.” Jenkins has not responded to requests for comment.

Prominent conservative commentator Matt Walsh has defended Bishop on social media, calling the incident an “innocent mistake” and criticizing the online outrage. “That should have been the end of it. No harm, no foul, nobody was hurt,” Walsh said.

Bishop remains hopeful for resolution, emphasizing her desire to protect her children during the incident. “I was a mama bear trying to protect my kids. That is all that it was,” she said.