Family of armed California woman killed by police files lawsuit
OAKLAND, Calif. -- The family of a woman shot and killed by Emeryville police officers in Oakland earlier this year contends in a civil rights complaint that she was shot in the back and never raised her gun at the two officers, contradicting the police account of the incident, reports CBS San Francisco.
According to the complaint, Officer Michelle Shepherd and Officer Warren Williams shot 38-year-old Yuvette Henderson multiple times in the head and back near the Extra Space Storage facility on the afternoon of Feb. 3.
On the afternoon of the shooting, Henderson was detained by store security on suspicion of shoplifting knives and other items at an Emeryville Home Depot.
While the security guards were on the phone with an emergency dispatcher, Henderson reportedly fell and hit her head and an ambulance and police officers were dispatched to the store. She then left, allegedly pulling a revolver on the guards.
Police officers caught up with her a few blocks away at the storage facility. According to police, she tried to carjack at least three different drivers as she walked there.
According to CBS San Francisco, one witness said Henderson pointed a gun at his companion in the car behind him as they arrived in separate cars at the storage facility. The officers arrived and reportedly shot her there, blowing out the windows of the man's car as she stood next to it.
The complaint contends that Henderson never raised her gun at the officers and was not even facing them at the time she was shot. Henderson was shot in the back when the officers fired multiple times, including with an AR-15 assault rifle, according to the complaint.
But Emeryville police have said Henderson turned toward the officers and raised her gun before they opened fire. CBS San Francisco reports that Officer Williams was equipped with a body-worn camera as part of a pilot program, but did not activate it before the shooting.
The family is seeking unspecified damages for Henderson's death