Houston (NBC) – The woman who was fatally shot by a police officer Monday night in Texas, had “several bad experiences” with the officer prior to the shooting, her family’s attorney said.
Pamela Turner, 44, was shot and killed around 10:40 p.m. on Monday by an officer trying to arrest her at an apartment complex in Baytown, about 25 miles east of Houston, said Lt. Steve Dorris, a Baytown police spokesman.
Civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump said in a statement Wednesday that he is now representing the family of Pamela Turner.
Dorris said Tuesday that the officer had dealt with Turner before and knew she had outstanding warrants. She suffered from mental illness, her family said.
According to Turner’s family, the officer routinely patrolled the area and Turner had “several bad experiences” with him.
Dorris said Turner struck the officer in the groin with his own stun gun, shocking him. The officer then fired multiple rounds at her, shooting her at least once, Dorris said. She was declared dead at the scene, police said.
The fatal incident was recorded on social media and went viral, with some commentators questioning why the incident ended in Turner’s death.
In the video, Turner is heard saying “You’re actually harassing me.” She is on the ground and appears to reach toward the officer before he fires five shots.
In a Snapchat video of the incident, Turner told the officer that she was pregnant. Police told NBC News on Tuesday that she was not pregnant, although they did not specify how they knew.
