Mother shot after she attacked officers trying to save her daughter
An unnamed woman was shot in New York on Saturday after she attacked police officers attempting to help her 2-year-old daughter who was in need of immediate medical aid. The officers were responding to an anonymous call about a woman screaming at the home in Mamaroneck, Westchester County around 1:30 p.m.
Police found the 28-year-old mother with her daughter. The girl appeared to be in a critical condition, prompting the officers to try and remove her to a hospital where she could be treated. The mother reportedly charged at the officers who first attempted to tase her. On seeing that the woman was not subdued by the taser, the officers opened fire on her before taking both mother and daughter to the hospital.
"The female was given numerous verbal commands by the officers to show her hands. The female then attacked the officers with a knife, injuring two of them. Tasers were deployed which failed to stop the female. The female was then shot by one of the officers," Sgt. Sandra DiRuzza told CBS2.
“Upon arrival, the officers located the child, approximately two and a half years old, in need of medical aid. The officers started life-saving measures and requested an ambulance to the location,” Sgt. DiRuzza added.
Two officers were injured in the attack and two others were sent to the hospital to receive a medical evaluation. The child died on arrival at the hospital. As of yet, it is not known what caused the child’s death or her mother’s aggressive reaction. The woman is presently recuperating from her injuries in the same hospital.
“I saw cops coming down the block, ambulances coming down the block, firetrucks. It was obviously something big, because it was like every cop in the world,' a witness said.
Neighbors reported that police had visited the house on the day before the incident though it is unclear whether the two visits were related. Not much was known about the residents of the house, according to a local man.
“That house had rented out rooms for a while so that's like the one house we don't really know exactly who they are,' the man, Kyle Wildenberd, told ABC. The child's death is unknown and is pending an autopsy.