A Texas Cop Fatally Shot A Woman Who Said She Was Pregnant

Baytown, Texas witnessed a tragic event on Monday night, when a police officer fatally shot a woman claiming to be pregnant, according to KHOU-TV, Houston's CBS News affiliate. The incident took place outside her apartment complex around 10:40pm, according to KHOU-TV, and it quickly spread on social media after a witness posted video of it.

As Baytown Police Lt. Steve Dorris explained the situation to CBS News, the officer moved toward the 44-year-old woman with the intention of arresting her, since he recognized her and knew there were outstanding warrants for her arrest. When she resisted arrest, Dorris told CBS that the officer used his taser against her, and that she then gained control of the taser and used it on him. Dorris said that the officer then fired his gun at the woman and police were unable to revive her. Bustle has reached out to the Baytown Police Department for comment.

In a Snapchat video taken at the scene, the woman can be heard telling the officer that she was pregnant, according to NBC News. While a woman claiming to be the victim's niece said that she had a mental illness and was not actually pregnant, Houston NBC affiliate KPRC-TV reported that she did have two grown children.

"Sometimes you would see her, you know, get into it with people around the apartments, but nothing too, you know, bad," said Raquel Cuellar, another resident of the apartment complex, told CBS News. "It's just, you know, just typical her. She's not a bad person. She didn't hurt nobody."

"They must’ve had a couple of words. Things went a whole different way, and he shot her, and I really feel for the family and I hope they get some type of justice," Taylin Inniss, who also lives there, told NBC News. "I just pray for them honestly because life is short nowadays."

While police did not identify either the officer or the victim, family members of hers told KPRC-TV that she was on medication for schizophrenia. In addition to her two grown children, she is also survived by three grandchildren, according to KPRC-TV.

According to KHOU-TV, the officer did experience pain when the woman tased him, but he wasn't otherwise injured. ABC13 reported that the police department has placed him on paid administrative leave while it carries out an investigation into his actions. He has been working at the Baytown Police Department for 11 years, according to KPRC-TV.

"It's a tragic event for everyone involved. Our hearts go out to the family of the deceased. We want to get all the questions answered that we can," Dorris told ABC13. "We never want things to get to this."

As Dorris told KHOU-TV, the police department is also hoping to speak with the witness who recorded the video, which was initially sent out over Snapchat and Facebook Messenger.

“It's unfortunate that someone takes a tragic incident like this and starts posting it on social media,” Dorris told KHOU-TV. “It's extremely disrespectful for everybody involved. But that's the day and age we live in with social media.”