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62-Year-Old Woman Shot and Killed After Threatening Officer With Scissors
The Blade via YellowBrix
December 16, 2009
The woman shot to death Monday night by Toledo police was killed with two shots to the head, Toledo Police Chief Mike Navarre said at a news conference Tuesday morning.
The chief said that two female officers responded to a call that a woman was brandishing a knife and that the fatal shooting occurred before their backup arrived.
He said the shooting was in very close proximity.
The chief identified the officer who did the shooting as Diane Chandler, 33, who has been on the force since 2006. The second officer was Rebecca Kenney, 34, who has been on the force since 2003.
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Tanya Murphy, who told police that she cares for two people in her home at 1321 Fernwood Ave., reported at about 8 p.m. that the woman had a knife. Ms. Murphy told police that the woman had a history of depression and schizophrenia and was not taking her medication, Toledo Police Chief Mike Navarre said.
Ms. Murphy identified the woman as Linda Hicks, who has lived in her home, known as Marria’s Adult Family Home, since 2006. Ms. Murphy and the other resident who lives there felt threatened by Ms. Hicks’ behavior, Ms. Murphy said.
“Linda had scissors in her hand. She came at me," Ms. Murphy said. “She was babbling something.”
Police found the woman on her bed in her room upstairs, holding her hands under her pillow. She first refused officers’ orders to show her hands. One of the officers attempted to subdue her with a Taser, but the device malfunctioned, the chief said. The officer then approached her — still in the bed — and used the handheld function on the Taser device.
The officer shot the woman as she lunged at police with a pair of scissors raised over her head, Chief Navarre said. She was shot more than once — a total of four shots were fired — and she was pronounced dead in the house last night. The chief said he could not say where the shots hit her.
Lawful_Blue
over 3 years ago
1184 Comments
People..........
Whalewatcher
over 3 years ago
9918 Comments
Sad that someone who needed better care from her caregivers was so tragically let down, and lost her life as a result. The officers did their best to quell this situation with less-than-lethal force(the failed Taser shock), and were forced to use deadly force. I am glad they went home in one piece
Anonymous
over 3 years ago
I was a little skeptical when I read the title.. but after reading the article and working with High Violent mentally ill offenders.. I give the ladies the thumbs up. It is unfortunate that the taser malfunctioned, it is also unfortuante this lady was too ill to understand the danger she posed. But I gotta agree, at the end of the day the LEO's went home unharmed. WTG Ladies!
bourneshooter
over 3 years ago
18 Comments
Good shooting. Way to avoid a potential stabbing wound and to be able to go home safely at the end of your shift officers.
Anonymous
over 3 years ago
This sounds like a good shoot! Hats off to the officers for being on their toes. Too bad the Taser didn't work properly in this situation though, because this could have probably been avoided.
jmccall1972
over 3 years ago
124 Comments
if the officer shootings in toledo were not up then the officer death rate in toledo would be nice job girls it was a good shoot. DONT HESITATE stay safe choose your words wisely chief
7yt43tquma
over 3 years ago
7224 Comments
Glad the officers are safe and unhurt. A threat from a non medicated schizophrenic is astounding, one of the medical students 3 years ahead of me was stabbed multiple times by a noncompliant actively psychotic shizophrenic and he died..it was sad. From that point on, every interview room has a panic button, and the med staff sit at the door, that is where the guy made his mistake, the psychotic pt was seated nearest the door, and he was across the room where there was no exit. I too question why this patient was not court ordered to have depot anti-psychotic injections.....she maybe alive today. Sad how schizophrenics get lost in the cracks. Anyway, again, I am very glad the officers are OK, but, I hope they get the counseling they need as well now that they had to take a life.............
Katz
over 3 years ago
8264 Comments
It's sad that the woman hadn't been given her meds. that was the caregivers responsibility, I would think. As for the shooting, the officer had to protect herself.
Jonas
over 3 years ago
38526 Comments
Why weren't the care givers doing something about the medication. What kind of care were they giving. This is very sad. And what DarkBlue said, too!
DarkBlue
over 3 years ago
4880 Comments
After The Chief made the comment that Police shootings resulting in the Deaths of a suspects is "very high " , he should of also stated that this is due to the VERY HIGH RATE that Police are being attacked by the Public. One goes with the other.....and it's coast to coast.
This assaultive Mindset starts with those HIGH in Power PUBLICLY judging Police Officers without all the facts, and making statements like " they acted stupidly " ....and that most LEO's are Racially Biased. This is just the beginning I'm afraid.
Anonymous
over 3 years ago
Good question, Rescue. A lot of postings on here would seem to bear that out. Of course, that also brings up the question of where their caregivers and family members are and why, if so many people knew that these people needed care, nobody was around to give it until after the cops are involved.
Well, the officers tried to subdue her peacefully and, from what I see, properly exercised their use of force doctrine, so good on them for trying their best.
RescueNanny
over 3 years ago
2646 Comments
Is it just me or are we as a nation (as a whole) seeing an increase in people with mental illness? It seems that a lot of officer involved shootings that were done in defense of themselves and the public occured because the suspects all had history of mental illness.
I'm glad the officers got to go home at the end of the day though.
chpprsinc
over 3 years ago
402 Comments
If you mess with the bull your gonna get the horns unfortunatly at the cost of a human life in this case. Good job, officer safety is #1
trooperman911
over 3 years ago
2448 Comments
fplasencia, I do recall my training from Calibre Press, on Officer Survival, and the distance one can close toward a target at twenty-five feet is astronomical. I have to give this shooting a Thumbs up and add that with the amount of LEO's being killed, there is no room for a second place winner out on the streests any longer. To close...when you dance you pay the fiddler.
Anonymous
over 3 years ago
Sorry for the lady, but I have to rate this up. Well done girls.
Does anyone remembers in training how quickly someone can get to stab you from 25ft...? If you do, you'll see this the way I do... Can't take any chances with this threat.