Atlanta black woman killed in a bizarre shoot out with police

Atlanta black woman killed in a bizarre shoot out with police

A woman in police custody fires from the back of a squad car.

In a strange shoot out, a woman opens fire on police officers from the back of a police vehicle. The officers fire back and ultimately kill the woman.

The shots were fired a block away from the Fulton County courthouse in Atlanta around five o’clock Thursday evening. The woman, whose name is being withheld, was taken into custody after being found behind the wheel of a stolen car. The officers found drugs on her person and an arrest warrant in her name. They placed her handcuffs and put her in the back of the police car.

“Shortly after that, that individual opened fire with a handgun or with a weapon firing at least twice at the officers. The officers retreated and opened fire,” said Maj. Darin Schierbaum of the Atlanta Police.

Witnesses at the scene say that they saw the police officers, whose names are also being withheld, search the woman and place her in handcuffs. The current theory is that she escaped the restraints and drew a concealed firearm.

“I think it’s crazy and dangerous because you’ve got kids down here. You’ve got innocent people walking the streets that don’t know what’s going on, and it shouldn’t happen like that here in Atlanta,” a witness, asking not to be identified, told WSB.

People at the scene of the crime quickly took cover during the shooting.

“We heard three shots,” witness Tressa Madden told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “We heard three more shots and everybody ran back across the street.”

The squad car had a gaping hole in its rear window as well as bullet holes in the windshield. The rear passenger side window was shattered.

At a time of increased scrutiny, the Atlanta police force is making every effort to release honest and complete details of the incident.

“Atlanta police commanders wanted to release information as quickly as it could be confirmed,” said police spokesman Sgt. Greg Lyon. “We owe it to the people we serve to be as transparent as we can in these types of situations.”

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