Knife-Wielding Woman Fatally Shot By Long Beach Police
LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Long Beach Police fatally shot a woman who was allegedly wielding a hunting knife near Bellflower Boulevard and 7th Street.
The woman was reportedly threatening people near a Jack in the Box and a car wash around 11:15 a,m.
One witness said police fired at the woman 14 times.
Police confronted the woman in the parking lot of the VA Medical Center. After failing to drop the knife as ordered, police said she lunged at them and they opened fire.
The woman had multiple gun shot wounds and was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition. The suspect succumbed to her wounds at the hospital.
CBS2's Greg Mills spoke to witnesses to the shooting.
"I was a little shaken up but I'm okay," said Valerie Simpson.
She said she can't believe what happened to her Sunday.
Simpson is homeless. She said she was with her cart and eating grapes outside the Jack in the Box when a woman stepped on her food and came at her with a knife.
"She was calling me all kinds of nasty names and said she was going to stab me and kill me," Simpson said.
She says a friend came to her rescue and someone else escorted the woman towards the VA Hospital.
Kathryn Turner was stopped at the light at 7th and Bellflower when she saw two Long Beach patrol cars fly by.
She said two officers got out of their vehicle and confronted the woman holding the knife. Turner says they yelled at her.
Turner said she heard the officers tell her to drop the knife or they would shoot.
She said she heard it all. First, she said, there were four shots. And then 10 more. Turner says she counted.
"I thought she's got a knife and you've got two guns and you've shot 14 times," Turner said.
Turner was not aware of what led up to the shooting or that the suspect reportedly threatened several people.
"As far as I know she tried to stab somebody inside Jack In The Box," Simpson said.
