Officers with the San Bernardino Police Department rescued a 3-year-old child after a woman held him at gunpoint on Sunday.
The mother of the child confirms her son is okay, and that the woman shot by police while holding a gun to the child’s head was her friend.
“Yeah I was scared. Of course, who wouldn’t be?” Jack Quiroz, a neighbor, said.
Quiroz said he was still in bed Sunday morning when he heard commotion nearby. “First I heard the helicopter and then I heard gunshots. And I came outside and I seen the police all over the place.”
San Bernardino police said they got a call around 8 a.m. from a panicked woman saying her 3-year-old grandson was being held at gunpoint by 35-year-old Darvet Brown, a friend of the family.
And according to the grandmother, Brown had already fired multiple rounds in the apartment.
“We don’t we don’t really understand the reasoning behind the suspect’s chaotic behavior. She had been very violent with the residents there for quite some time before we even got there.” Lt. Jennifer Kohrell with the San Bernardino Police Department said.
Kohrell said that when Brown saw police approaching the apartment, she barricaded herself behind the door with the child and his father still inside.
“The officers knew that everyone in that apartment, their lives were 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 feet. With a gun pointed directly at the child’s head.”
Police say she ignored commands to drop the weapon. That’s when one officer fired several shots at Brown.
“And She did position her body differently after she was wounded. However, she did change the position of the gun and pointed it again at the child,” Kohrell said.
The officer fired again, striking Brown and allowing other officers to run in, grab the crying boy and return him safely to family members outside.
“We are just very grateful that our officers acted swiftly and were able to save that child’s life,” Kohrell said.
“I’m very happy for that, I’m glad. Thank God for that. Cause I never want to see a baby get hurt,” Quiroz said.
Police say they attempted to render aid to Brown, but she died from her injuries in the apartment.
She was a friend of the boy’s mother but not related to the child.
Police are asking anyone with information that could help shed light on a motivation to reach out to San Bernardino Police Department.