A Mentally Ill Woman Wielding a Sledge Ax is Allegedly Shot and Killed by a Reserve Deputy in New Mexico
Heather Denean Bubrig of New Orleans, Louisiana, was allegedly fatally shot by a reserve deputy with Dona Ana County in New Mexico on Tuesday, October 31, 2017. According to authorities, she had been armed with a sledge ax when she approached the reserve deputy. A sheriff’s department news release said that the reserve deputy had been at the scene because residents in the area called the police to report a woman breaking first into a home and then into a shed.
It was reported that 37-year-old Bubrig was mentally ill and had been released from a psychiatric hospital earlier that day. She and her boyfriend were reportedly at the hotel where they stayed when she demanded to leave. She was agitated and expressed fear that she was in danger. They were driving on Interstate 10, and the 51-year-old boyfriend pulled their pickup truck to the shoulder and stopped. Bubrig tried to walk onto the highway. When he attempted to stop her, she ran.
Later on, police got calls from two nearby residents. A woman said a female matching Bubrig’s description went into her house and tried to kill her. Nearby neighbors reported that a woman of the same description went inside their shed.
When police got to the scene, Bubrig exited the shed carrying a sledge ax and began closing distance on a reserve deputy. As she approached, the reserve deputy fired at least two shots with his handgun. Life-saving efforts began immediately, but Bubrig died at the scene.
The type of question that invariably comes up in police shootings is whether or not the police officer used excessive force, resulting in a fatality. If the law enforcement officer was wearing a body camera, the footage will be examined, as proof of what happened.
As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.
–Guest Contributor
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