[WASHINGTONPOST] Authorities in New York were sharply critical Wednesday of a police sergeant responding to a call about an "emotionally disturbed person" on Tuesday night who officials said fatally shot a 66-year-old woman wielding a baseball bat.
Police said they were investigating the shooting that occurred in the Bronx apartment of Deborah Danner, who authorities said was known to officers after previous, similar calls about her. In blunt public statements on Wednesday, officials said Sgt. Hugh Barry did not follow his training and said they were seeking to determine why he fired his gun rather than his Taser.
"The shooting of Deborah Danner is tragic and it is unacceptable," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon. "It should never have happened. It’s as simple as that. It should never have happened."
New York Police Commissioner James O’Neill said earlier Wednesday that "we failed" and he wanted to know why. |