A 93-year-old woman was shot five times by Texas cops leading to her death Tuesday after she was asked to put down a gun she was waving around in public, New York Daily News reported Wednesday.
Although it is still too early to tell why the 93-year-old woman was shot, authorities confirmed that she died following the incident in the rural Texas town of Hearne.
According to neighbors, the old woman - identified as Pearlie Golden - was a sweet old lady known to most of them in the community as "Miss Sully."
The 93-year-old was reportedly shot five times, as per the KBTX-TV report.
Hearne police have refused to comment on the details about the Tuesday night shooting. "We can't tell you anything about it," a woman identified as Dispatcher Murphy told New York Daily.
In a press release issued by the department Wednesday about the shooting incident in the city of less than 5,000 people located about 150 miles south of Dallas, authorities said that cops only responded to a 911 call involving "a female with a gun."
Reports say shots were fired and the female was then rushed to a nearby hospital, but was later on declared dead.
The officer who shot the 93-year-old woman has been suspended with pay.
County Officials said the officer, identified as Stephen Stem, fired his gun after asking the old lady to put down the gun she was waving around in public.
"While it is too early in the investigation to comment on any of the facts or evidence ... I can say that this was a very tragic occurrence," said District Attorney Coty Siegert. "My prayers go out to the family members of Miss Golden and to the Hearne community as a whole."
Meanwhile, local residents are now questioning why the cops shot the 93-year-old woman.
Resident Lawanda Cooke was one of those who raised the question. "Even if she did have a gun, she is in her 90s. They could have shot in the air to scare her," Cooke said. "Maybe she would have dropped it. I don't see her shooting anyone."
Further investigation on the incident are being carried out as of late by the Hearne Police Department the Texas Rangers and the Robertson County Sheriff's Office.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
