I got the impression from the article that this ended in an unnecessary death because of a series of errors and misapprehensions. Knowing his daughter was having mental problems including an obsession that some ex-boyfriend was stalking her, the woman’s father bought her a gun and taught her how to use it. Some cops arrived at the scene know the woman was having a psychotic episode and was armed. Another incorrectly thought he was pointing a gun at him and blazed away at her with a 9mm but missed. Other cops heard those shots and thought she was firing at them. She lay down in the hallway, then, thinking her ex-husband had arrived, turned 90 degrees and was reaching for something. Mendoza panicked, assumed she is going for a gun, and took out the “threat”. The cops all clam up, because at least several of them contributed to a royal screw-up, and whoever was in command failed to control and coordinate his forces.
Some lessons: 1) Don’t arm your paranoid schizo drugged up children. 2) Police frequently are not good at dealing with people having mental crises, because they expect somewhat rational behavior, like following commands, staying still more than ten seconds, etc.; unfortunately, nuts act nutty. 3) Unfortunately, good tools do not exist for dealing with armed, violent, or potentially violent nuts.
Or perhaps the lesson here is that cops should have secured her while she was prone rather then having temper tantrums like five year olds.
That ONE thing is what their job was. To secure her to prevent danger to the public and themselves.
But that is apparently too complicated. And not nearly as much fun as yelling and cursing at her.