Woman Shot Dead By Police In South Austin Was Holding BB Gun [UPDATED]

AUSTIN, TX -- The woman killed by police Sunday after threatening responding officers was armed with only a BB gun, police said on Monday.

The dead woman was identified as Micah Dsheigh Jester, 26, police said. The woman's husband called police early Sunday to say she was in distress. When they arrived, police said she repeatedly asked them to kill her and was armed with a weapon.

As authorities approached to disarm her, the woman had the weapon in her hands and pointed it at officers when one officer fired shots at the woman, according to police. The "weapon" the woman brandished was a replica semi-automatic BB gun, police said, including a picture of the model as part of their news release.

Police also identified the two police officers in involved in the shooting: Deborah Lindeman, a mental health officer, and Richard Smith. Both officers are assigned to Region 4, which covers the southeast/southwest parts of the city. Each has been with the Austin Police Department for about three years, police said.

No dashcam video of the killing was recorded given the distance of the police cars from the scene, police said. Moreover, there were no witnesses, police added.

Per protocol after officer-involved shootings, the two officers have been placed on paid administrative leave, police said.

"Our hearts go out to everyone involved in this tragic accident," police said.

This case is being investigated by APD’s Internal Affairs Unit, Office of the Police Monitor, APD’s Special Investigation Unit, and the Travis County District Attorney’s Office, police said. A Travis County Grand Jury will also review this incident, police added.

>>> Photo via Austin Police Department

From Oct. 16:

AUSTIN, TX — A woman was killed in an officer-involved shooting at a South Austin apartment complex early Sunday where police were responding to a call of a woman who was in distress, Assistant Chief Troy Gay told reporters at a press conference.

Gay said a call came in around 3:45 a.m. Sunday from a man who said his wife was in distress. The man said he would like a mental health officer to come to the scene. A crisis intervention officer who was in the area said she would respond to the scene along with other officers.

Around 3:50 a.m., the call was updated when the man told 911 his wife had a gun. Officers arrived around 3:51 a.m. and placed themselves several buildings away for a safe approach, Gay said. As they approached the building in the 700 block of West William Cannon Drive, a woman came out of the apartment building with a weapon in her hand. She extended it towards officers and reportedly said, "shoot me, shoot me, kill me."

After she was given several verbal commands to drop the weapon, she continued to come towards officers at which point two officers fired at her, according to the police account. The woman went down but was still moving and the weapon was underneath her, Gay said.

Officers called for additional officers to respond so they could form a shield as they approached the woman to disarm her. Gay said officers continued to give verbal commands and when there were enough officers to approach, she continued to make comments in asking officers to "kill me." As authorities approached to disarm her, the woman had the weapon in her hands and pointed it at officers when one officer fired shots at the woman, according to police.

Officers no longer considered her to be a threat and retrieved the weapon. First aid was administered and the woman was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced deceased a short while later.

Police said there were no witnesses to the incident and have not yet released where the woman was shot. Police said there also is no video of the incident since officers had to place themselves several buildings away, but there is audio. Gay said he was unsure of any history of calls to police made from the woman's apartment.

Both officers involved in the shooting have been with the department for three years. The woman who was killed was only identified as a 26-year-old white female.

Tony Cantu contributed to this report.