The woman who was shot and killed by a Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputy in Neenach had charged law enforcement personnel while wielding a knife, investigators said on Wednesday.
In a statement distributed via their social media, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau investigators said the shooting — reported shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday on the 25300 block of Abacus Avenue — stemmed from a family disturbance involving a mentally ill woman.
“Upon their arrival, they contacted a female white adult who was armed with a knife,” investigators said in their statement. “At some point during their interaction, the female charged at the deputies with the knife and a deputy-involved shooting occurred.”
Deputies and personnel with the L.A. County Fire Department rendered medical aid to the woman, who has not yet been identified due pending notification of next of kin. However, she was pronounced dead at the scene.
“No deputies or other persons were injured in this incident,” investigators said. “There is no additional information available at this time.”
At the time of the incident, Deputy Eva Jimenez, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff’s Information Bureau, stated that a weapon was recovered at the scene.
Whenever a deputy-involved shooting occurs in L.A. County and a person is struck by gunfire, multiple independent investigations immediately begin at the scene. A handful of other agencies, including the L.A. County Office of Inspector General and the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office, are tasked with overseeing and/or determining the legality of the deputy’s actions.
Neenach is a rural community between Lancaster and Gorman, north of the Santa Clarita Valley.
Anyone with information about this incident can contact the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Homicide Bureau at 323-890-5500.
