An emotionally disturbed and schizophrenic New York City woman was killed by police in the Bronx Tuesday, Oct. 18.
According to initial police reports, 66-year-old Deborah Danner was shot inside her home around 6 p.m. last night. New York Police Officers responded to a 911 call from a neighbor stating that Danner was emotionally disturbed. CBS New York reports that officers found the woman in a bedroom with scissors. The officer on scene, NYPD Sgt. Hugh Barry, convinced the woman to lay them down. But the woman managed to grab a bat as she charged at the officer.
“As she attempted to strike the sergeant, he fired two shots from his service revolver, striking her in the torso,” NYPD Assistant Chief Larry Nikunen told press yesterday. An ambulance arrived and Danner was taken to Jacobi Hospital where she was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. Nikunen admitted that police have dealt with the woman before with similar types of calls from neighbors.
In a news conference today, Mayor Bill de Blasio commented on the shooting stating that “it should never have happened.” He added, “The NYPD’s job is to protect life. We are determined to get to the bottom of this incident [and] we are determined to seek justice. We are determined to ensure that a tragedy like this never happens again in our city.”
He also points out that the police have dealt with the woman before. De Blasio questioned whether or not officers had to shoot the elderly woman.
“In those other instances, the NYPD successfully removed Deborah from the apartment and they went off to the hospital. Something went horribly wrong here … There were obviously other options here.”
Furthermore, Police Commissioner James O’Neill have similar sentiments as de Blasio. He believes the officer should have used his taser to subdue the woman. The officer involved is an 8-year veteran and has been placed on modified duty, per CBS New York.
