A family in Texas is left wondering why a relative was killed, now that officers have retracted a claim that she had a gun when a sheriff’s deputy fatally shot her on Sunday, the Raw Story reports.
In an earlier statement over the weekend, the Bastrop County Sheriff’s Office said that it had responded to a call about an altercation between two men involving a gun. According to the statement, Deputy Daniel Willis was forced to shoot 48-year-old Yvette Smith when she came to the door with a gun and disobeyed commands.
However, the Raw Story notes, the office is now withdrawing the claim about the weapon, saying that authorities were unable to confirm that Smith was armed.
The owner of the house, Willie Thomas, told the Austin American-Statesman that he witnessed the incident and Smith did not have a gun.
Smith’s 25-year-old son, Anthony Bell, said the shooting would never have occurred in an “upscale neighborhood.” “If they had went to Hunters Crossing or Tahitian Village or a nicer subdivision, they wouldn’t have been so hostile,” he said, referring to the officers.
The deputy was put on administrative leave, but there has been no further information about the shooting. “Unfortunately, due to the very preliminary and active ongoing investigation, we are unable to release the requested information at this time,” Bastrop County Sheriff Terry Pickering said in a statement on Tuesday.
Read more at the Raw Story.