The Last Minutes of Alysha Duran: The look of grief, and the pendant that linked her to a memory
WESTMINSTER, COLORADO: An unnerving bodycam footage released by the Westminster Police Department showed the final moments of Alysha Duran, 46, who was shot dead by a Colorado officer after claiming that she reached for a firearm. According to the authorities, the concerned officer approached her SUV at around 4.40 pm on July 25, which was parked and facing the wrong direction on 88th Avenue at Lamar Drive.
The officer, identified as 'N Adams', initially tried talking to the woman to no avail and she even did not roll down her window at first. And when she did, Duran did not answer any of the questions. The cop who was visibly distressed in the video immediately darted behind her vehicle after noticing the gun, screaming "What have you got in there?" before he fired shots at her after just a few seconds.
Duran was ultimately killed after the fatal shot fired through her rear driver's side window and finished in the windshield of the car facing her on the road. The incident has left the viewers divided as some claim that the officer acted in the spur of the moment while others argue the killing was justified.
What was wrong with Alysha Duran?
Although there are no official reports of what happened to the victim prior to the incident, it was probably Duran's cold behavior that made the entire ordeal even more dreadful and distressing among the viewers, especially to the officer who was involved in it.
As can be seen from the footage, the police officer came across the bizarre situation where Duran was seen stopping her car in the road facing another vehicle, although it is not known what led her to stop in this manner.
After speaking with the other driver, he approached Duran who sat expressionless all by herself in the car. The officer asked her to roll down her window which she ignored but eventually complied after taking several moments.
The incident got even more eccentric when Duran grabbed her pendant and started rubbing it when the officer tried to ask if she was okay and the reason for halting her car on the side of the road. The shocking video clearly outlined the look of grief that was conspicuous on her face and Duran, caressing her pendant further fuelled the fact that it might have reminded her of someone or something special to her that she probably lost.
The cop who had no idea what was going to happen in the next few seconds, even asked the woman if she was okay and if she needed an ambulance. As of now, it is not revealed if by any means Duran was intoxicated at that time but the chances are highly grim which was even admitted by the officer. He asked her if she had been drinking, but remarked that it did not appear as if she had been.
The exchange finally took a drastic turn when the officer spotted a gun next to her. Duran's true intentions on what she was planning to do with the firearm will never probably come to light as she was fatally shot by the cop following his unsuccessful attempt to grab her arm.
What happened to the officer?
Westminster Police Chief Cheri Spottke said a gun was later found in the woman's car at the time of the incident. He also added that the officer who fired the shot had been working on the force for more than 20 years, as per 9News.
"We understand incidents of this nature deeply affect our citizens, family members, and employees", the department said. "We understand the concerns that arise after an officer-involved shooting. It is important to remember these situations are complex and often involve tough-split-second decisions made by our officers."
The officer was placed on paid administrative leave while the shooting was investigated, as per department policy.