Chief Cathy L. Lanier claimed she was armed with “multiple knives” and refused to obey officers’ commands.
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Lanier also added that there are not specific guidelines that would dictate how an officer is to respond in a circumstance like this one.
She told the Washington Post when “someone charges an officer with a knife, we have to deal with it the way that we do”.
Both police and firefighters were sent to a street about nine miles east of the White House for reports of a fire.
Police spokeswoman Gwendolyn Crump says Nettles has been charged with arson for allegedly starting a fire in a northeast Washington home that initially brought police to the scene where she was shot early Saturday evening. When officers arrived on scene, on the way to the fire, is when they encountered the woman with the knives.
“Officers have to handle on an individual basis what their perception of threat is and how they feel comfortable responding to that”, Lanier said. The woman was reportedly in stable condition at a nearby hospital.
Exactly what prompted the confrontation remained unclear. In them, an officer points a pistol at a woman in a pink baseball-style hat. She seems to be about Eight to 10 ft away, advancing sporadically and unsteadily towards him.
“Put the knife down”, one person shouts. Then a single pop is heard, accompanied by screams.
The fire department is investigating what caused the blaze on the 5300 block, the newspaper reported.
At this time, the details as to why the woman was holding the knives and advancing at an officer is not known, according to The Washington Post. Another man, Nathan Strickland, said she had a steak knife with what he described as a “skinny” 6 to 8-inch blade.
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One man, Gerald McBrayer, said the woman was holding “a little steak knife”, and received no warning.
