AndFlorida police shot dead 81-year-old woman who lunged at him with a knife.
The tragic event occurred on Monday, shortly after 11:00 pm, at a Rails End mobile home park, located between the cities of Orlando (Orange County) and Gainesville (Alachua).
AndPress release of the Sumter County Sheriff's Office reports that it was the woman herself who called 911 to ask for rescue personnel to come to her house because "people were dying here" and quickly hung up.
Rescue personnel waited for officers to respond first, given the limited information the complainant gave.
The report adds that the officer who went to the scene to investigate the elderly woman's complaint contacted her to try to determine "if her complaint was real or if she was having a mental episode." Suddenly,The woman grabbed a knife that she had behind her back and tried to stab him, he backed away, pulled out his service weapon and fired.
Rescue personnel attempted to save her life before she was transported to Ocala Regional Medical Center. They managed to bring her still alive, but she died at approximately 12:48 am on Tuesday.
The victim was later identified asJanet Sours, 81 years old. Apparently, he might have been experiencing a mental health crisis.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is investigating the incident.
Investigators say the officer took "evasive action" by backing away while he pulled out his service weapon and fired at the woman.
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