Woman Armed with Baseball Bat Shot Dead by NYPD Officer

An emergency call on a domestic disturbance turned deadly on Tuesday. A New York police sergeant is under investigation for fatally shooting a 66-year old woman who assaulted the officer with a baseball bat. According to an assistant police chief, they are looking for a justification why the officer chose to shoot the woman instead of tasing her.

The latest shooting incident of the elderly woman initiated another intensified scrutiny over the entire law enforcement establishment in the United States. Citizens are concerned about police authorities using excessive force against the minorities and the mentally ill.

Domestic Disturbance Call

According to the New York Police Assistant Chief, Larry Nikunen, the police received an emergency call about an emotionally disturbed person in an apartment in the Bronx. The woman’s neighbor called the police complaining that the woman is acting irrationally.

In a news conference, Nikunen recalled the series of events that took place prior to the shooting. He said that the woman was clutching scissors when the sergeant entered the bedroom. The officer persuaded the woman to put the scissors down. However, she suddenly charged the officer while picking up a baseball bat.

Nikunen said during the conference, “As she attempted to strike the sergeant he fired two shots from his service revolver, striking her in the torso”. He also added that the NYPD is investigating the reason as for why the sergeant did not use a Taser instead of opening fire to the rushing woman.

Doctors pronounced the woman dead at the hospital. Authorities did not mention the identity and race of both the police officer and woman.

Ruben Diaz Jr., the Bronx President considered the incident as an “outrage” because of the shooting of a “mentally disturbed” person. The former state lawmaker requested the state attorney general for an investigation regarding the shooting.

Regular occurrence

This is not the first time that the police was called in for the same domestic disturbance call. Diaz said, “This elderly woman was known to the police department, yet the officer involved in this shooting failed to use discretion to either talk her down from her episode or, barring that, to use his stun gun.” He then added, “That is totally unacceptable.”

Last month, a similar occurrence generated scrutiny when an officer in El Cajon responded to a call on a mentally disturbed man. The police shot the man who pointed an object directly to the officer that turns out to be a vaping device.

As of late Tuesday, no statement was released by a lawyer from the New York Police Officer’s union.

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