Outrage rippled through Washington state over the weekend, after it was reported that police shot an armed woman suffering from mental illness, during what was supposed to be a wellness check. Renee Davis was five months pregnant with her fourth child when she was pronounced dead. She was 23-years-old.
Deputies of the King County Sheriff's Office arrived at Davis' residence, on the Muckleshoot Indian Reservation on Friday night, on Friday night, October 21. They were responding to a call about a suicidal woman who was armed in the presence of children. According to reports, Davis failed to respond to officers announcing their presence at her door, before they decided to force an entry into the premises. The deputies say while they did not see Davis, they caught a glimpse of the children in the home. Upon entering they spotted Davis gripping a firearm, at which point they let off multiple shots.
Some are drawing parallels between Davis' case and that of Korryn Gaines in Maryland on August 1, when police similarly barged into her home only to fire on her after finding her armed with a rifle. Gains also battled mental illness. Since the Gains' death, several other cases of mentally ill citizens whose lives have been claimed by police involved shootings, have occurred. In September the killing's of Keith Lamont Scott in Charlotte, NC, and Alfred Olango in El Cajon, CA, during stand off's with police brought about an outpouring of calls for officers to approach such situations with a focus on de-escalation.
Davis' family has been meeting with lawyers and calling for answers, with her sister Danielle Bargala claiming to have known about Davis owning a rifle, but knowing nothing of a handgun. Other family members are calling for greater detail into the moments leading up to the shooting, with an interest in knowing what had been done to try to defuse the situation considering the police were aware they were dealing with someone suffering from mental illness.
Source: bet.com