A 32-year-old woman died Tuesday after three Cobb County police officers responding to a suicide call shot her after she made a “very distinctive, overt action” with a gun, officials said during a news conference.
Talathia Brooks’ 3-year-old daughter was inside the home during the shooting.
It was not immediately known if Brooks fired shots at the officers, Cobb County police Sgt. Dana Pierce said.
Three officers were called to a home on Robin Hood Place just before 12:30 p.m. regarding a woman with suicidal threats, Pierce said. A fourth was also called to the home to assist with the investigation.
Pierce said officers met Brooks at her front door and attempted to de-escalate the situation through a “back-and-forth conversation,” but she left the doorway several times during the encounter and at one point grabbed a gun.
Police said Brooks made threatening moves toward the officers, prompting three of them to fire.
“She did make a very distinctive, overt action toward them with that weapon,” Pierce said, “and that’s why they felt as though they were at risk of serious body injury or death.”
Pierce did not specify if Brooks aimed the gun at officers, who provided aid to her until emergency services arrived.
Brooks was taken to WellStar Kennestone Hospital in Marietta, where she died. Her daughter is with family members.
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Officials have not said how many shots were fired or if the shooting occurred inside or outside the home.
Police have been called to the home in the past regarding similar incidents, Pierce said.
The three officers involved in Tuesday’s shooting have been placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation. Their names have not been released.
Pierce said officers are trained to handle suicidal incidents through real-life simulations and videos and are often told to assess the situation to determine its seriousness and if there is a real threat against the public.
“If that’s the case, they attempt to talk them down,” Pierce said. “It’s a very sad and tragic situation.”
The GBI, which investigates use-of-force cases, is looking into the incident. There have been 79 officer-involved shootings in Georgia this year, according to the GBI. In 2016, the agency investigated 77 officer-involved shootings.
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