New York officer shoots woman who charged him with baseball bat: police_英美文化

New York officer shoots woman who charged him with baseball bat: police

A New York City police sergeant fatally shot a 66-year-old woman who charged him with a baseball bat at her apartment on Tuesday, prompting an investigation that will look into why he did not use a Taser instead, an assistant police chief said.

The Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr called the shooting an "outrage."

It follows a string of incidents that have put law enforcement across the country under heightened scrutiny over the use of lethal force, especially against minorities and the mentally ill.

Police on Tuesday evening received an emergency call of an emotionally disturbed person at an apartment building in the Bronx, where the woman's neighbor complained she was acting irrationally, said New York police assistant chief Larry Nikunen.

The sergeant entered the woman's apartment and found her clutching scissors in a bedroom, Nikunen said at a news conference.

The sergeant talked to the woman, convincing her to put down the scissors, but she charged toward him while picking up a baseball bat, Nikunen said.

"As she attempted to strike the sergeant he fired two shots from his service revolver, striking her in the torso," Nikunen told reporters.

The New York Police Department is investigating and will look into why the sergeant did not use a Taser against the woman instead of opening fire, Nikunen said.