SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It's been just a day since Sacramento police officers shot a woman in a Midtown park, and now, community members are asking if the use of force was necessary.
The last thing Joslyn Shirley expected to see yesterday was crime tape and an active crime scene when she walked out of her front door Saturday afternoon.
"I heard one gunshot, and then several after that, like at least four," said Shirley.
Sacramento police said two officers shot a woman at Albert Winn Park on Saturday afternoon. This came after they got reports of her holding a gun.
Employees at Mast Coffee told ABC10 the incident started when that woman came to the business and waved the gun at people inside. Police said she tried to run from officers and did not listen to commands. Ultimately, the gun she was holding was not real.
Even though police have not yet identified the woman, people in the neighborhood believe she doesn't have stable housing and has a history of mental health issues. It's the exact reason why Keyan Bliss has a problem with how police handled the situation.
"This seemed like it was something where force could have been avoided," said Bliss.
Bliss is the vice chair of the Sacramento Community Police Review Commission. He says in this case, police should have approached the woman in a different manner.
"It would make more sense to actually just be calm and adjust your body language and appear non-threatening," he said.
Back in 2021, the commission helped the police department pass a new use-of-force policy that says deadly force shall only be used as a last resort. After what happened yesterday, Bliss wants to know just how that policy was applied.
"What de-escalation steps were taken in order to resolve this?" he asked.
However, for Shirley, this happened just too close to home and she doesn't see any wrong in what the officers did.
"I fully support them in this, you know, whatever is necessary, because if it was you or I caught in the crossfire, we would be thinking the same thing. And I believe they only do that when it's absolutely necessary," said Shirley.
ABC10 reached out to the Sacramento Police Department for updates on the case and if they had a response to the criticism, but a spokesperson said there was no additional information to release at this time.
WATCH ALSO:
