NIGHTFLIGHT
Banned
And looses
A 20-year-old Evansville woman is recovering at St. Mary's Medical Center after being shot three times by police officers early Saturday.
Samantha McDaniel, 1054 Hatfield Drive, was wounded after she allegedly threatened officers with what ultimately proved to be a BB pistol.
The incident occurred shortly after midnight on the Lloyd Expressway east of Boeke Road where officers stopped her after she reportedly enticed police to chase her Ford Mustang.
At a news conference Saturday afternoon, Evansville Police Chief Brad Hill questioned whether McDaniel might have been attempting "suicide by cop."
He explained she repeatedly had called dispatchers and initiated the chase late Friday when she sped away from officer Mike Evans after he attempted to stop her car at Morgan and Weinbach avenues.
Hill said McDaniel had called central dispatch at 11:18 p.m. Friday and said she wanted to play a game called "catch me if you can." Hill said she called five more times telling dispatchers her locations.
"She had indicated that something bad would happen if the dispatchers did not get a hold of a couple officers that she named," Hill said.
"She further went on to say that she was going to give clues, and if they figured it out, then they would win the game," Hill said.
On the fifth call, McDaniel told dispatchers she was "heavily armed," which led Evans to attempt to stop her at 12:09 a.m. She appeared to stop for a brief moment at Morgan and Weinbach but then drove off, beginning the chase, Hill said.
At 12:12 a.m., McDaniel got out of her car on the eastbound Lloyd Expressway and was ordered to drop a handgun she was waving around.
The police officers, Hill said, did not know it was a BB gun, and when McDaniel refused to drop it and pointed it at them, officers Rick Bagbey, Nick Winsett and Dave Burris fired. McDaniel was struck in an elbow, the chest and buttocks.
Hill described McDaniel's condition as stable on Saturday.
McDaniel was wearing a black outfit similar to what police wear and had a police radio in her blue Mustang, Hill said.
"It seems that this young lady was disturbed last (Friday) night for some reason and that she was seeking to attempt suicide by cop last night by her actions," Hill said. "The officers had absolutely no choice in this situation. They acted appropriately, and they stopped the threat.
"The officers' actions were generated by her actions and they followed their training and did what they had to do last night," he said.
The Lloyd Expressway was blocked off from Weinbach to Vann Avenue for three hours Saturday morning while officers processed the scene.
McDaniel may face several charges once she is released from the hospital, Hill said, including criminal recklessness and resisting law enforcement, both class D felonies.
In 2007, Evansville police charged McDaniel with false reporting, and Hill said she
Officers shoot woman wielding BB gun : Local News : Evansville Courier Press
A 20-year-old Evansville woman is recovering at St. Mary's Medical Center after being shot three times by police officers early Saturday.
Samantha McDaniel, 1054 Hatfield Drive, was wounded after she allegedly threatened officers with what ultimately proved to be a BB pistol.
The incident occurred shortly after midnight on the Lloyd Expressway east of Boeke Road where officers stopped her after she reportedly enticed police to chase her Ford Mustang.
At a news conference Saturday afternoon, Evansville Police Chief Brad Hill questioned whether McDaniel might have been attempting "suicide by cop."
He explained she repeatedly had called dispatchers and initiated the chase late Friday when she sped away from officer Mike Evans after he attempted to stop her car at Morgan and Weinbach avenues.
Hill said McDaniel had called central dispatch at 11:18 p.m. Friday and said she wanted to play a game called "catch me if you can." Hill said she called five more times telling dispatchers her locations.
"She had indicated that something bad would happen if the dispatchers did not get a hold of a couple officers that she named," Hill said.
"She further went on to say that she was going to give clues, and if they figured it out, then they would win the game," Hill said.
On the fifth call, McDaniel told dispatchers she was "heavily armed," which led Evans to attempt to stop her at 12:09 a.m. She appeared to stop for a brief moment at Morgan and Weinbach but then drove off, beginning the chase, Hill said.
At 12:12 a.m., McDaniel got out of her car on the eastbound Lloyd Expressway and was ordered to drop a handgun she was waving around.
The police officers, Hill said, did not know it was a BB gun, and when McDaniel refused to drop it and pointed it at them, officers Rick Bagbey, Nick Winsett and Dave Burris fired. McDaniel was struck in an elbow, the chest and buttocks.
Hill described McDaniel's condition as stable on Saturday.
McDaniel was wearing a black outfit similar to what police wear and had a police radio in her blue Mustang, Hill said.
"It seems that this young lady was disturbed last (Friday) night for some reason and that she was seeking to attempt suicide by cop last night by her actions," Hill said. "The officers had absolutely no choice in this situation. They acted appropriately, and they stopped the threat.
"The officers' actions were generated by her actions and they followed their training and did what they had to do last night," he said.
The Lloyd Expressway was blocked off from Weinbach to Vann Avenue for three hours Saturday morning while officers processed the scene.
McDaniel may face several charges once she is released from the hospital, Hill said, including criminal recklessness and resisting law enforcement, both class D felonies.
In 2007, Evansville police charged McDaniel with false reporting, and Hill said she
Officers shoot woman wielding BB gun : Local News : Evansville Courier Press
