Carroll County Woman Threatening Suicide Fatally Shot by State Trooper

The Carroll Standard ^ | April 11, 2011 | Copy Desk

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

(HAMPSTEAD, MD) – A Carroll County woman armed with a handgun and threatening suicide was fatally shot by a Maryland state trooper Monday evening after she refused repeated orders to surrender and pointing the weapon in the direction of police on the scene.

According to reports, troopers from the Westminster Barrack were called to the 4600-block of Upper Beckleysville Road, Hampstead, Md at about 5:40 p.m. today for a domestic situation between the 40-year-old woman and her sister, with whom she lived. While en route to the scene, a second call was received informing troopers the woman had armed herself with a handgun and was threatening suicide. The woman's sister reported she and her teenage daughter had locked themselves in an upstairs bathroom.

Two State troopers, a Hampstead Police officer and a Carroll County deputy sheriff arrived at the two-story home shortly before 6:00 p.m. and purportedly observed a woman moving between upstairs and downstairs windows repeatedly pointing the gun at the police outside the home. The woman refused repeated commands to drop the weapon and continued to point the gun in the direction of police. Presumably in fear for his life, one of the troopers fired his Department-issued .40 caliber pistol, fatally wounding the woman.

The woman was flown by Maryland State Police medevac helicopter to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center where she was pronounced dead.

The Maryland State Police Homicide Unit, Westminster Barrack Criminal Investigation Section, Internal Affairs Unit, and crime scene technicians from the State Police Forensic Sciences Division are continuing the investigation and are expected to remain at the scene until the early morning hours on Tuesday.

Police are withholding the identities of the woman and the trooper until family members have been notified and the preliminary on scene investigation is completed.

[Squantos]

Damn..... Sad deal.

[pandoraou812]

I have come to think people who want to kill themselves may as well just do it. Not have a cop do it for them . My brother in law who was on all kinds of meds for years tried to kill himself. In & out of mental hospitals yet here in NJ where its hard enough to have a gun he had many. About 9 yrs ago as soon as it turned Christmas Eve he shot himself in the head in front of his father. Matter of fact the bullet went though his head & almost hit his father. He lived, costing taxpayers over a million dollars to save his life. He is blind, has to have 24/7 care & has made life miserable for our family. He hates being alive & I have grown to think they should have just let him pass on. If I sound bitter, it is because I am. He ruined his father's golden years & is a major pain in the butt. He feels no guilt for his actions & says when I lost my eyes. He didn't lose them he shot them out of his head. He expects us to live our lives around him & I don't feel we should. It has torn the family apart.

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

Hmmmm...well. they did prevent a suicide.

To protect and serve...

[TigersEye]

A crazy woman with two hostages is running around waving a gun and pointing it at the cops and there was no danger to anyone? What planet are you from?

[org.whodat]

How many mags did this well trained cop use.

[count-your-change]

Preventive execution? Prevents murder and suicide (plus speeding and illegal parking and so forth), works every time.

[the OlLine Rebel]

It is true; by what little I’ve seen/heard (I live in the region), it seems she was in the house and MANY police had the perp’s gun pointed generally at them. Presumably they were well outside the house with car cover, etc.; but maybe they were near the door/window, etc. I don’t know.

One thing I’d like to see more of with police is serious target training - if they’d shoot out a hand or leg, instead of the chest, they’d usually accomplish their task and not get in trouble for outright killing the perp. All the whining about “but it’s HARD...” doesn’t fly. If this is their career, they should get lots of time training and get better aim. Then the perp couldn’t run, couldn’t shoot, and all would be honky-dorey.

[The Truth Will Make You Free]

There's not enough to go in this article to make a judgement. However, if I were the one who did this, I'd expect to be taken down: “refused repeated orders to surrender and pointing the weapon in the direction of police on the scene.”

Stupidity, emotional problems, and even mental illness are no excuse for disobeying reasonable legitimate authority and endangering others.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

That is why, when I happen to be miserable, I take care not to make others around me miserable. Spread the misery is as lousy an idea as spread the wealth.

[pandoraou812]

If I am miserable I find some place to be alone. My BIL wants us all to pity him. I refuse. I said from the time we learned he would live he needed to go to a nursing home so my FIL could have a life. Or he could learn to be blind. Half the family says I am mean & I don't care. You screw around & blow your eyes out then deal with your actions. Learn how to be blind & not be a burden on the family. Sadly I see a bunch of enablers who feed into his drama. All I know is he isn't coming to live with me. If he was even a little sorry I could deal with it. However he blames his meds & drinking. Taking responsibility & saying I was abusing meds & alcohol would make me like him a little more & maybe not be as btchy as I am to him.....maybe. I just see what his actions have done & get mad.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

I don’t blame you. When I’m miserable, I’m usually in my room, watching TV and not complaining. I have the sense that nobody would want to hear it all the time.

[Soothesayer]

The only way to survive in the USA is near total isolation. Drop off the grid so to speak.

We are totally surrounded by insane vermin looking for an excuse to destroy people.