By Cassandra Reinhart, Special to the Independent
The medical condition of a 36-year-old woman wounded in a shooting by Laguna Beach police was upgraded to stable from critical this week after she underwent surgery for gunshot wounds.
Police said a weapon was located at the scene of the 2:40 p.m. shooting Sunday, Feb. 11, on St. Ann’s Drive where a 36-year-old woman, described as suicidal, exited her vehicle with a weapon in her hand, police Sgt. James Cota said.
The incident was the second officer-involved shooting by a Laguna Beach officer in seven months. The Orange County District Attorney’s office is overseeing the current investigation. The two officers involved, who were uninjured and not further identified, were placed on administrative leave, and plan to return to duty soon, Cota said this week.
One of two officers who responded to the report about a depressed woman threatening to kill herself discharged his weapon when she emerged from the vehicle with a weapon in her hand, Cota said.
Former resident Scott Summers was in the ocean at Oak Street Beach at the time. “Then the bang, bang, bang happened — it was six times rapidly,” said Summers, who initially assumed it was construction noise from a nail gun. “We all looked at each other in the water and were wondering what that was. Everyone said it sounded like gunfire.”
The officer rendered first aid and the injured woman, a resident of Huntington Beach, was transported to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo for treatment, where she underwent surgery.
Police cordoned off the 100 block of St. Ann’s Drive and the 700 block of Gaviota Drive for several hours during their investigation Sunday.
“There were several calls received from citizens that she was seen in her vehicle with a handgun and this is where it ended,” Cota said.
“We are still trying to figure out the why and what her state of mind was, so this investigation is going to be ongoing throughout the night.”
According to the police log, a woman apparently upset over a break-up described herself as experiencing a panic attack and impaired breathing and asked another woman, who spoke to her while she remained in the car, to call police. About three hours after the shooting, the suspect’s partner also contacted police, the log said.
Cota deferred further questions to the supervising investigator, Stan Berry, who did not return phone calls seeking comment.
An officer-involved shooting in July involved a stolen-vehicle suspect. The suspect was arrested after a brief chase, which occurred after an officer fired on the motorist, who was not injured but had aimed his car at an officer confronting him as he tried to flee.
Andrea Adelson contributed to the story.
Still no indication how many times she was shot.
But now she has something to live for.
I thought the State AGs office did these investigations these days
I think this whole thing is horrible, I think the article is written in a way that defemates her character while covering the fact that the police overreacted. A depressed suicidal person needs comfort not fear and panic.
She was shot 9 times!!!! The depressed and suicidal woman called the police for HELP. The “weapon” she was holding was a cell phone. She had her son’s toy gun in the car that she was attempting to announce to the woman that was helping her so the police DIDN’T shoot her. The reports are erroneous and the police overreacted out of fear instead of diffusing a tense situation. We need to demand POLICE SENSITIVITY TRAINING in order to avoid these shootings!!! I am outraged.