Florida woman, 81, killed by deputy after lunging at him with knife: officials
WILDWOOD, Fla. - An 81-year-old woman was shot by a deputy late Monday night after she attempted to stab a deputy amid a mental episode, according to the Sumter County Sheriff's Office. She ultimately died from her injuries and was pronounced dead early Tuesday morning.
Janet Sours requested emergency personnel at the Rails End Mobile Home Park in Wildwood around 11 p.m. on Tuesday. Deputies said she was "in distress" and was "having a mental episode." She told dispatchers on the phone that "people were dying over here," triggering rescue personnel to stage the area until the scene could be secured by deputies.
When deputies arrived and began to investigate Sours' 911 call, they spoke with her to try and determine if her complaint was real or if she was having a mental episode, the Sumter County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. That's when she allegedly pulled a knife from behind her back, lunged at a deputy and tried to stab him.
"At this point, the deputy took evasive action backing up while simultaneously drawing his service weapon and fired on the complainant/suspect," a spokesperson for the sheriff's office said in a news release.
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Rescue personnel began to perform life-saving measures, and she was transported to Ocala Regional Medical Center where she died from her injuries. She was pronounced dead before 1 a.m.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement took over the investigation, which is still ongoing.
No other details have been released at this time.