NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas — An officer shot a woman Tuesday at a North Richland Hills apartment complex after police say she threatened the lawman with a knife.
The woman's relatives told WFAA she has Bipolar disorder and had been experiencing an extended mental health crisis.
The family said they asked police responding to a different incident involving the woman around 3 a.m. Tuesday to take her to JPS Hospital for mental health care.
Police did not take her to the hospital, the family said. The woman, whom WFAA will not yet identify, returned home to her unit at the Haven NRH Apartment complex on Rufe Snow Drive.
North Richland Hills Police confirmed they made contact with a woman in distress near the apartment at 3 a.m. Tuesday.
"Officers attempted to speak with the woman, but she declined any police assistance and walked away, ending the interaction," a police spokesperson said. "Due to her refusing to interact with the officers or presenting any behavior that authorized intervention, the officers closed the call."
About eight hours later, relatives say the apartment's management called them to report further erratic behavior. A family member says she asked the apartment manager to call 911 and tell police, again, to take the woman to the hospital.
When North Richland Hills police arrived, they say officers saw the woman breaking things in the parking lot.
According to a press release from NRHPD, the officers knocked on the woman's door. She exited with a knife, threatened a male officer, and moved toward him, police said. That officer shot the woman.
The family says the officer shot her three times. The woman will survive, but relatives said her recovery will take a long time.
A neighbor took video of the scene moments after the shooting. It shows officers approaching the wounded woman, telling her to "put down the knife" and calling her by her first name.
An officer carrying a shield kicks what appears to be a kitchen knife away from the woman and begins providing medical care. The family provided to WFAA a picture of the blade taken at the scene.
Police say the officers provided medical attention until paramedics arrived. Despite relatives' prior requests for help, they say the woman did not go to JPS Hospital until she'd been shot.
None of the officers were injured. Police did not identify the officer involved.
Two neighbors told WFAA they knew the woman had mental health problems. The woman's relatives said police know her from prior encounters, as well.
"Hopefully, she gets the help she needs because she was a really nice lady," neighbor Brianna Battreall said.
"It's 2024," Battreall continued. "I wish they could come up with some way to handle these situations besides using excessive force like that. I know they have to when they feel threatened, but I just wish there was some way they could figure it out."
NRHPD will launch two investigations into the shooting. The first will determine if any criminal offenses were committed, and the second will determine whether the officer followed department policy and procedures.
The department has placed the involved officer on paid administrative leave pending the investigations.