Renee Davis was at her home on Muckleshoot tribal lands when Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched there for a “wellness check.”
The 23-year-old was 5 months pregnant and with two of her three children in Washington state at the time, suffering from depression.
It was reported that the sheriff’s department was sent to investigate her residence after a disturbing text message was sent to Davis’ boyfriend.
Her boyfriend flagged down a deputy who was on patrol and showed him a text she had just sent saying she had a gun and was going to kill herself. She also sent a photo of a fresh cut to her arm, and said, in effect ‘this will show you I’m serious.’”
The sheriff’s department contracts with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe to provide law enforcement.
Few details have been released with the exception of a statement from law enforcement:
Deputies knocked on the door to the residence repeatedly with no response. Deputies said the children were running around in the house but no one answered the door. Two deputies entered the house to check the welfare of the woman and children. They found the woman inside the house armed with a handgun. Both deputies fired at the woman and she was struck at least once. Aid responded and the woman, 23, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Renee was presumably suffering from some degree of distress or mental illness. Deescalation was the only course that should have been taken.
Washington is an open carry state and it could possibly have been reasonable for her to posses a gun in her home.
Why is this woman dead?
Why did the police enter the home? Was it legal?
Why was the choice made to stay as opposed to retreating and getting backup?
Per capita, Native Americans are killed by police at a higher rate than any other group in the United States. In 2015, 10 Natives were killed by officers. While that number may initially seem low, Natives account for only 1- to 2-percent of the entire U.S. population, making that seemingly small number rather significant.
While it is true that so many people offended by this killing were not present at the time, the current climate of police killings dictates a visceral response.
