Fresno police fatally shot a knife-wielding woman at a bus terminal, a police bodycam video released Friday showed.
Officers from the Fresno Police Department (FPD) responded to a call from a driver with the Fresno Area Express (FAX) — Fresno’s public transportation system — who reported the presence of the armed woman April 10.
“She’s kind of stabbed her neck…she’s got a knife to her throat,” the driver could be heard saying during the call, according to the video. The driver also told the police that the woman was making suicidal threats.
The officers arrived at the FAX terminal to find the woman — later identified as Joanna Lopez, 39 — with a self-inflicted neck wound.
“Hey, everybody move out of the way. Move out the way!” one of the officers called before saying to Lopez, “Hey, put the knife down!”
Lopez held on to the knife, seized someone near her, and used the person as a human shield while still holding the knife, the video showed. The FPD identified the victim as a 68-year-old woman who had just disembarked from a FAX bus.
The officers repeated their orders for Lopez to drop the knife or risk being shot. As Lopez did not yield, an officer fired at her. The gunshot appeared to have struck her in or around the head, according to the footage. Lopez fell to the ground and lost her grip on the elderly woman, who remained unharmed. Another officer moved the woman away from the scene. (RELATED: Bodycam Shows Police Allegedly Shooting Knife-Wielding Man During Bipolar Episode)
The officer who fired at Lopez retrieved the knife that remained in Lopez’s grip. The knife had a blade six inches long, the FPD said.
The officers rendered aid before paramedics arrived and transported Lopez to the hospital — where she was pronounced deceased, according to the FPD.
A dog was at the scene. The FPD did not say if it belonged to Lopez or her elderly victim, but said “No bystanders or animals were harmed during this incident.”
The officer-involved shooting is still under investigation, the FPD said.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
