A D.C. police officer shot a woman Saturday night after police officers responded to a call for help from emergency personnel on the scene of a fire.
The woman, armed with multiple knives, refused to comply with police orders to drop the knives before charging at the police officer who shot the woman, according to a statement from the Metropolitan Police Department.
A short video of the event posted on YouTube shows the officer pointing his weapon at the woman as she slowly advances toward him. Cries from witnesses surrounding the scene can clearly be heard telling the woman to “put down the knife,” but it is unclear if the officer told he to do so.
The woman, identified by CBS DC as Renita Nettles, 22, was hit in the shoulder and is now facing assault and arson charges as she recovers in the hospital.
Nettles, who was described by family members as “mentally ill” is believed to have started the fire in her home that originally drew firefighters to the scene.
Gregg Pemberton, a spokesman for the D.C. Police Union, told WUSA 9 that the union is standing behind the officer and his actions.
“The fact is it appears in the video that he was threatened with an imminent threat of serious bodily injury or death, and at that point in time, he’s allowed or authorized to use deadly force,” Pemberton told the TV station.
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