Child, 3, Was Held at Gunpoint by Mother’s Friend Before Police Fatally Shot Suspect

Darvet Brown, 35, was killed by police after she fired multiple rounds inside the apartment where she had barricaded herself with the child

Police officers in California fatally shot a woman who was holding a 3-year-old child at gunpoint and had fired shots inside an apartment where she had barricaded herself with the child, San Bernardino police said, according to reports.

Darvet Brown, 35, was pronounced dead at the scene following a brief standoff in an apartment in San Bernardino, when a woman called 911 on Sunday morning saying her grandson was being held at gunpoint by Brown, according to police, KTLA reported.

The child was unharmed, his mother said, according to NBC Los Angeles. The mom said Brown was a friend of hers.

When officers responded to the residence, the child’s grandmother told them she feared for the boy's life. During this time, Brown briefly emerged on the balcony, gestured a gun towards them before running back inside to lock herself in with the child, ABC 7 reported, citing police.

Body cam footage obtained by NBC Los Angeles shows Brown standing next to the child, holding a gun with both of her hands and pointing it at the boy, who is seated to her right.

“We don’t really understand what the purpose or the reasoning was behind the suspect’s chaotic behavior,” Lt. Jennifer Kohrell with the San Bernardino Police Department said, according to the outlet. “She had been very violent with the residents for quite some time before we even got there.”

Kohrell added that Brown barricaded herself inside the unit with the child and his father when she saw officers approaching, the outlet reported.

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“The officers knew that everyone inside that apartment — their life was in danger and they had to go resolve the situation,” Kohrell said. “So they had to kick in the door and as soon as the door opened they saw the suspect was standing over the child within just [a] feet with a gun pointed directly at the child’s head.”

Brown refused to follow officers’ commands to drop the weapon, and subsequently, she was fatally shot by officers, police said, according to NBC Los Angeles and ABC 7.

After police fatally shot Brown, law enforcement rushed in to rescue the child, who was brought to his family waiting outside, say police.

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