Door striker in locked position and door will not close

As noted my car door is stuck in the open position as the striker appears to be in the locked position. The door handle will not unlock it from this position and the door locks continue to work fine but will not move the striker into an open position.

I have attempted to unlock with a screwdriver to force the mechanism into the down/open position however, I can not force the mechanism into the open position. I have looked at the other front door however, this has not given me a clue as to what the problem might be.

WD