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Chief James White at gas station
Detroit police officers fatally shot a woman Sunday night at an east-side gas station after she pointed an Airsoft gun at customers, Chief James White said at a news conference Monday.
Police were called to the Sunoco station at 7 Mile and Schoenherr Street around 6 p.m. on a report of a woman waving a gun at customers.
The woman, identified Monday as Nakia Williams, stood in the store's entrance and pointed a gun at several customers outside, prompting them to flee, White said as he showed surveillance video stills of the various encounters. She was pointing a gun at a customer as officers approached and eventually opened fire.
Williams, who is believed to be mentally ill, died in the police cruiser on the way to the hospital.
Nakia Williams pointed the Airsoft gun at customer, police said. (Video still provided by Detroit Police Department)
The actions of the officers appear to be within policy but will be sent to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office for review, White said.
"Our preliminary investigation shows that the officers acted bravely," he said. "They had to make a split-second decision and they were confronted with a very very volatile situation and very tragic situation."
Michigan State Police and the Detroit police homicide task force are also investigating the shooting.
