The family of a woman shot by police in Pittsburgh, after she allegedly pulled a gun on police, is speaking out, claiming that the woman was going through a mental breakdown at the time of the shooting.
Pittsburgh Police got a call at around 3 pm on February 24 about a suspicious-looking person inside an abandoned house in the St. Clair neighborhood.
Responding officers swarmed the neighborhood, including SWAT team members. They found a woman inside the house, and according to a press release by the department, she exited the house with a pistol pointed at the officers.
The woman began shooting at the officers, who responded by firing back and shooting her. Officers pronounced the woman dead at the scene. She was alone at the home at the time of the incident.
Authorities later identified the woman as Adrienne Arrington, 39.
Arrington’s cousin, Musa James, came to her defense, explaining that she was probably going through a mental breakdown at the time and had no intentions of hurting the police.
Speaking to Fox News, James said that Arrington was struggling and that the police probably took no steps to defuse the situation.
James said his cousin had recently lost her mother and brother, which had taken a toll on her as she was mourning them.
He explained that she was in the house where her mother and brother died, and she frequented the place to mourn them after their deaths. He also said she probably had the gun because it was an abandoned house, and she wanted to feel safe.
Allegheny County Police will investigate the incident per the department’s policy in an officer-involved shooting.
Officers from the Homicide Unit processed the scene and interviewed witnesses. The police announced they would provide more information about the case in due time.
James told the outlet that he was heartbroken, adding that neighbors knew she frequented the building and even slept on the back porch, adding that she did not deserve to die the way she did.
