Woman fatally shot by Baytown officer during struggle over Taser was not pregnant
BAYTOWN, Texas (KTRK) -- A woman who was shot to death by a Baytown police officer during a struggle over his Taser was not pregnant.
The woman was heard screaming "I'm pregnant" in a Snapchat video that captured the fatal incident Monday night. However, police told ABC News her family informed them that she was not with child.
The deadly shooting happened around 10:40 p.m. at The Brixton apartment complex in the 1600 block of Garth Road.
According to police, the officer, an 11-year veteran with the Baytown Police Department, was on patrol when he came across 44-year-old Pamela Turner, whom he'd dealt with before and knew had outstanding warrants.
The officer contacted Turner and tried to arrest her, but she struggled with him, forcing him to use his Taser on her, Baytown PD Lt. Steve Dorris said.
As he tried to handcuff her, she allegedly grabbed his Taser and used it on him.
Lt. Dorris says that's when the officer was forced to pull out his gun and fire multiple times at Turner, hitting her at least once.
"She was already on the ground. Why did you have to shoot her? Why did you have to kill her?" neighbor Johnathan Little asked.
The officer tried to render aid immediately after the shooting. She died at the scene.
"It was a sad situation. Tragic. The lady... she did live here. We would often see her, see her walk her dog around," said resident Raquelle Cuellar.
Someone posted video on Snapchat of the moment the Taser was used on Turner and when she was shot. Police are now hoping to talk to that person and any other witnesses.
"You're actually harassing me," Turner can be heard saying in the video as the Taser is used.
Neighbors say they believe she struggled with mental illness.
Residents said they would always see Turner walking her dog.
"She wasn't mentally competent. We always tried to look after her. She would walk outside at all hours of the night. I would tell the office management she should not be left alone," one woman said.
"If you know she has mental illness, why not ask for backup first before you try and detain her?" said neighbor James Edison. "He got up and she was barely getting up off the ground and he shot her like a dog. That's wrong. And he needs to pay for it."
The Harris County District Attorney's Office is part of the shooting investigation, which is standard procedure in incidents like this.
The officer will be placed on paid administrative leave, which is also standard protocol. His identity was not immediately released.
The officer was also injured by the Taser, but the extent of his injuries are unknown.
"It's a tragic event for everyone involved. Our hearts go out to the family of the deceased. We want to get all the questions answered that we can," Lt. Dorris told ABC13. "We never want things to get to this."
The officer was wearing a body camera, which may shed more light on what happened.
