Police Shooting Of Woman In Group Home Under Investigation

SPRINGFIELD, VA — A 30-year-old Springfield woman who was shot by a Fairfax County police officer Monday evening and taken to a local hospital was placed into custody, the police department said Wednesday.

The woman was holding a knife and threatening two police officers inside a group home when she was shot, according to police.

At 5:18 p.m. Monday, two Fairfax County police officers responded to a call from the group home in the 8000 block of Gosport Lane in Springfield. A caretaker at the home who called 911 on Monday said a woman was threatening to harm others inside the home. When they arrived at the home, the two officers entered the home through a back door and were confronted by the woman.

The officers ordered the woman to drop the knife, but she refused. The woman threatened to stab the officers and advanced toward them with the knife in her hand, the police said in a news release.

One of the officers fired his gun, striking the woman in the upper body. Officers immediately provided aid to the woman until fire and rescue personnel arrived at the home, the police said.

On Tuesday, the department said the woman was in stable condition after surgery. None of the officers or other residents of the home were injured in the incident.

Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said at a news conference Monday evening that the police department had been called to the same group home "on more than one occasion" prior to the shooting.

The Springfield residence serves as a group home for people with intellectual disabilities, The Associated Press reported.

RELATED: Woman With Knife Shot By Officer At Home In Springfield: Police

The officer who shot the woman is a 14-year veteran and is assigned to the Fairfax County Police Department’s Special Operations Division, the police said. The officer has been placed on a restricted duty status pending the outcome of the criminal and administrative investigation.

A criminal investigation into the use of force is being conducted by the department’s Major Crimes Bureau.

Davis will release footage from the body-worn camera and the 911 call for service “when it no longer jeopardizes the integrity of the investigation,” the department said.

Davis instructed the department’s Internal Affairs Bureau to conduct an administrative investigation in accordance with policy, along with an independent review by the police auditor.

The name of the officer will be released by Davis within 10 days, unless he determines there is a credible threat to the safety of those involved or if additional time is required to “thoroughly complete the risk assessment process,” the department said.