A pregnant Native American mother of three was fatally shot by Washington police this weekend
LatestThe family of 23-year-old Renee Davis is demanding answers after police officers in Washington State fatally shot the pregnant, Native American mother-of-three for reasons that are still unclear.
On Friday evening, Davis texted a close friend to talk about her ongoing struggle with clinical depression, according to the Seattle Times. Davis’ friend got in contact with deputies from the King’s County sheriff’s department and expressed concern about Davis’ mental state, prompting the authorities to travel out to her home located on the Muckleshoot tribal lands to check on her.
“It’s really upsetting because it was a wellness check,” Davis’ sister, Danielle Bargala told the Times. “Obviously, she didn’t come out of it well.”
King County authorities told KOMO News and other outlets that they were responding to a call about woman thought to be suicidal who was in possession of a handgun and was in a house with two small children inside. In the officers’ account of the events, they entered Davis’ house after knocking on the door multiple times and receiving no response from within. Within moments of stepping inside the house, they encountered Davis, who was allegedly holding a handgun, and felt compelled to open fire on her.Two of Davis’ three children were present at the time of the shooting. They have now been placed into protective custody during the investigation into what happened, while her eldest is staying with family friends. The two officers involved in the shooting have been put on paid administrative leave.
According to the Washington Post, Davis is one of 776 people fatally shot by police in 2016.