KNIFE-WIELDING SUSPECT: Police kill woman - News

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Jun. 13, 2007
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

KNIFE-WIELDING SUSPECT: Police kill woman

Victim had child with her, waved knife and threatened passers-by

By DAVID KIHARA
REVIEW-JOURNAL

A Las Vegas police officer stands where a woman was shot and killed by police Tuesday morning near the intersection of Lake Mead and Martin Luther King boulevards. Police said they used nonlethal force on her, but she had refused to drop a knife.
Photos by Jeff Scheid.

A Las Vegas police investigator photographs evidence on the ground after a woman was shot by police Tuesday near the intersection of Martin Luther King and Lake Mead boulevards.

Las Vegas police block off the area around a Jack in the Box restaurant near Martin Luther King and Lake Mead boulevards after a woman with a knife was fatally shot by police Tuesday morning. Police shocked the woman three times with a Taser.

At around 5 foot 6 inches tall and weighing about 140 pounds, the woman brandishing a knife on Martin Luther King Boulevard didn't appear invincible.

But Las Vegas police couldn't stop her Tuesday morning with multiple shots from a bean bag shotgun, three 50,000-volt shocks from a Taser and pepper spray.

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Police wound up putting two bullets into her, and she later died at a local hospital.

"It looked like she was PCP'd out," said one witness, Luis Flores, referring to the drug phencyclidine.

Known on the street as "angel dust," it makes some users feel and act invulnerable.

Las Vegas police deputy chief Ted Moody said it was too early to know if the woman was under the influence of any drug when she confronted police.

Her name, age and hometown were withheld by police.

The incident started about 8 a.m. after the woman, who was with a boy who appeared to be 3 or 4 years old, harassed Demetrius Price's 17-year-old brother inside a Jack in the Box restaurant at Lake Mead Boulevard and Martin Luther King, Price said. He said the woman pulled out a knife and threatened his brother, who used a chair as a shield against her.

Police arrived and located the woman in the parking lot of a CVS pharmacy across from the restaurant. She had the child with her and was waving a kitchen knife, police said. Police said they believed the child was the woman's son but hadn't confirmed that Tuesday evening.

Officers tried to talk to the woman, but she refused to answer any of their questions, Moody said.

She then began wandering through traffic with the child and crossed the street to the west side of Martin Luther King.

Officers kept asking the woman to drop the knife and let the child go, but she ignored them, Moody said. One officer wrangled the boy away from the woman and handed him off to a person nearby.

When asked why police didn't stop the woman when they got the child away from her, Moody said it was unclear. But, he added, it's easier to grab a larger object, like a child, away from a person than it is to safely take away a relatively small weapon like a knife.

After the officers took the child from the woman, she was screaming at police, said Flores, who was watching from across the street.

"She was saying, 'I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill you!' at the officers," Flores said.

Another witness, Bob Brown, said the knife the woman was carrying had a six-inch blade.

"You could just tell it was not going to be a good ending," Brown said.

Police fired a bean bag shotgun at her eight times, hitting her at least three times, Brown said.

"This guy (police officer) hit her square in the chest (with a bean bag fired from a shotgun), and she barely flinched. I'd be crying for weeks," said Brown, who watched the confrontation from his vehicle at the intersection of Martin Luther King and Lake Mead.

Brown, who was driving to work at the time, is the advertising director for the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Police shocked the woman with a Taser three times, but she tore the device's barbs from her, Moody said.

One of the officers then sprayed the woman with pepper spray, but that didn't have any effect on her either, Moody said.

She walked about 150 yards north from the Jack in the Box on Martin Luther King, with officers following her.

She then tried to get into a vehicle and made a threatening gesture at the driver, Moody said.

An officer then shot the woman.

Flores said the woman appeared to have been shot in the chest and yelled, "You shot me!"

The woman started moving toward the officers after she was shot, so an officer shot her once more and she fell to the ground, Moody said.

A total of six officers were at the intersection, and three used some sort of force, he said.

The boy who had been with her was taken to Child Haven, the county's temporary shelter for children.

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Please enter your name Name: Please enter your email Email: Please enter a comment COMMENTS : (word count limit is 300) You have reached the maximum number of words allowed Current Word Count: Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background. Geoffrey John Wells wrote on November 09, 2007 04:41 PM: This is another example of improperly trained traffic police responding to a situation they are not qualified for. Traffic Police, they are suppose to guide traffic accidents, they have absolutely no training or qualifications to handle any other situation. They have exceeded their mandate, and as a private security force employed by the city, shows their incompetence and brutal attitude towards any situation. If 6 alleged men cant handle one woman without murdering her, why are they employed. This was murder by the Police of a citizen, will they be held accountable, where is the video of her alleged wrong doings. I say this they are nothing more than brutal assasins, the Gay Gestapo. When will Americans stand up for common decency and respect from those who are employed by them. These animals with a badge are no different than a rabid dog. The only difference, a rabid dog is shot when found to be hurting people, and it does not hide behind a badge. This is Terrorism committed against Americans, how much more will the country take? Jon Hamel wrote on July 09, 2007 09:34 AM: Hey Jim, this is Jon . . . I noted that you were a little late on your post, several weeks late in fact. A couple of points, many of the negative personal posts are best simply ignored as they add little to the thread, and often the content is twisted. Some posts are simply intended to stir the pot, so to speak, and provoke anger. These are often done by what I call Web Trolls. This latter type of post, adds nothing to the discussion but is amusing to some, but not to me. So Jim, based on the facts as I understand them, I do stand by my post. However, if it was true that this woman did somehow break away from being surrounded by more than a dozen armed officers, and in fact this woman did make herself to be an immediate threat to a motorist, then I would agree that the use of deadly force was justified. Now, was that in fact the case? Jim wrote on July 09, 2007 08:13 AM: Hey Jon Hamel, you don't read to well or follow your own advice. Read below and tell me if this lady posed an immediate threat to the polic officers or the PUBLIC. She then tried to get into a vehicle and made a threatening gesture at the driver, Moody said. Yep, if I was a moron, I would even understand they she posed an "immediate threat to the public"! follow these instructions. Read, think (logically at the least), then reply with your babble. lynn wrote on July 01, 2007 12:45 AM: Sep, the best thing for you to do is get a life and shut up while you are ahead. Your comments are about as interesting as dead cockroach. Society Improves "a tad" wrote on June 30, 2007 08:10 PM: Another black thug on her way to commit crime. Thank the Police that the thug did not "physically" hurt anyone! One less thug on the street. One less welfare/AFDC recipient, and finanical drain. One more notch on the quality of life in LV. libturd wrote on June 21, 2007 11:09 PM: Another crack addict bites the big one. Her child will have a much better chance at having a decent life now. ricki wrote on June 20, 2007 12:49 PM: and for you that say "what could a steak knife do"..hmm well a simple razor blade could kill you..now a knife 5x that could and would have caused a serious injury..and if that was you im sure you wouldn't be like" o just a steak knife" my ass! ugh.im over it ricki lynne wrote on June 20, 2007 12:45 PM: Ha oh sep..thank you for pointing that out and guess i hit a nerve?..Just as Cameron said it seems to me it was a"Minority" that pulled the race card??And of coarse ur ways of handling adult situations would be to try to lower people to your ignorant level of degrading them,by the GED comment and now the one towards me.wich sorry doesnt really affect my opinion or change what i said however i typed or spelled things.so read up then speak up about the situation.How dare you hit cameron back with a very racist remark of "Good point. They just drink & drive and kill 5 people in an SUV. They grab some guns and shoot up a bunch of kids in Columbine. They just kill Melissa James, stuff her body into a car and set it on fire. They kill Bill Cosby's son because they want his car."And how funny you add bill cosby.why is that are you racist? people are people and know matter what color they can rape murder or whatever crime it may be so theres no judging here the story was about a druged women with a child and a knife threatening innocent police(like your father)and bystanders.Police took action.Some say they could have shot her in the leg.and how many times would it have taken to mangle the ladies lims before she stopped and how critisized would the police be then?I believe it was right and i believe poor ol sep it pissy that i struck a nerve.so keep writing keep tryin to prove a point..its opinions no need to get so worked up hahaha! have a great day! oh ya..GET OVER YOURSELF!!!! HAHA you honestly sound like such a loser blah blah blah i was a cop blah blah blah.geez! enough!stop telling others how to think, jus shut up..thanx bye! Jon Hamel wrote on June 20, 2007 11:41 AM: The rule is simple, for Police to use deadly force, an immediate threat to the police officer or public must exist. The fact that the police had enough time to fire shot gun bean bags, and use Tasers to is a indication to me that the justification to use deadly force had not been met. Having said that, what prevented this very fit and well trained police officer to use his night stick to smack this crazed woman’s knife arm. The effect of a night stick would likely break her arm, and would render her unarmed and in a lot of pain. It appears to me that the training our police are getting today is shoot first and ask forgiveness later. Ms. Selassie wrote on June 19, 2007 11:27 PM: Give me a break already! If the police were able to safely remove the child from the woman... they should have been able to subdue the woman, same way. Whatever... Read All Comments