Woman Accused Of Waving Knife At Officers Shot, Killed By Saugus Police
SAUGUS (CBS) -- A 38-year-old woman allegedly wielding a knife was fatally shot Saturday by a Saugus police officer after officers were called to a home for "a request of a female family member in distress," according to the Essex District Attorney's Office.
Sources told WBZ-TV's I-Team that officers were responding to a call about a suicidal woman on Alfred Road. The Essex DA's office confirmed that three Saugus Police officers responded to the call around 4:30 p.m.
According to the DA, once officers entered the home with the woman inside, she allegedly waved a knife at them.
One of the officers then fired three shots at the woman, hitting her. After officers and EMS tried to provide aid, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her name has not been released. According to WBZ-TV's Zinnia Maldonado, the woman was a mother of two young children.
The officer who shot the woman has been put on administrative leave, which is department policy, according to the Essex DA's office. None of the officers were injured.
After the shooting, the woman's relatives came to the home looking for answers.
"We were just here a couple of weeks ago hanging out with her and all the kids," Marcella Gerardi, the woman's cousin, told WBZ-TV. "I'm feeling sad, I'm feeling hurt."
Gerardi is now asking for prayers.
"They've been through a lot. They're nice people. They're great people," said Gerardi.
Earlier in the evening, dozens of State Police and Saugus police officers were surrounding the home.
People outside were seen distraught, speaking with detectives. Neighbors were stunned.
"I was shocked," said neighbor Annette Guarino. "I've been here since 1994. And it's just quiet, very quiet. And it's just all off a sudden, we get tape around here, and the cops, and everything."
