Police Shoot Knife-Wielding Woman In O.C.

I really fined it hard to believe that the officers were in that much danger that they had to use lethal force. This was a teenage girl. Could they have maybe tazered her first before just unloading on her with GUNS. If you ask me they should be repremanded and fired. There are alot of kids that live and play arround that park and there are houses and apartments on two sides of it. I think the officers were hugely more dangerouse to the neighborrhood with there actions then she was with hers. The Huntington Beach police seem to think they are in a police state and wield there power flagerantly.I as a resident of H.B. for the last 31 years am frankly tired of there power trip and there harrassment.

I have to agree with the person above. if they had to shoot don't they know what legs are? and only one shot not multiple. i can see police standing outside my house smiling and laughing as if they didn't just kill someone!!! i am so angry. my heart goes out to the family.

No matter what age, race, gender this person was it's always a tragedy when the result of a Police shooting is "death" to the Suspect, but gladly there was not any harm to innocent Citizens. As far as "shooting in the legs"...are you serious? First of all, you try shooting a knife weilding felony Suspect in the leg and when you miss I guess you can apologize to the poor kid you hit when your bullet goes through his bedroom window and it kills HIM. Police must "shoot to stop"...if that means hitting the part of the body which leaks the most fluid, then that's what they have to do. Unless you were there or were THE Officer(s) who shot, don't criticize something you don't know about. Lastly, unless you live some criminal lifestyle, what kind of "harrassment" or "power trip" are you talking about. Most, if not all, NORMAL Citizens don't have Police contact...it's called: Obey the law!

I saw this incident take place and know the girl who was shot. I saw her running away from her apartment this morning (before police arrived) and also saw her mother running after her. I also saw the girl after she was shot by the police.

I find the entire incident shocking and a disgusting show of unnecessary force by the police. This girl was extremely small (looked no more than fourteen or fifteen) and not physically imposing. The fact that two "trained" officers with weapons were unable to take her down without using lethal force is unacceptable.

She was standing in a wide open grassy area in the middle of an empty park/schoolyard early in the morning when they shot her. There was no one else close so there was no one to accidentally hit. Why couldn't they have used some other means to subdue this girl??? She was a small teenage girl who was not wearing shoes.

Totally unnecessary.

I hope the officers involved are prosecuted for man slaughter and wrongful death. Why is incapacitation not used in the event of a confrontation with a person holding a knife.(Not a gun, not a long sward, not a bomb) A knife for god sake. I saw the cops this morning when I was awaked by the badly handled situation of yelling followed by gun shots, when in the fact the situation could have been handled in less then 2 minutes by arresting her and holding her for questioning or psychiatric evaluation. I have been thinking all day, how much easier incapacitation of the arm or leg could have been more than appopriate. You could argue and say that maybe they could miss and the bullet could pass and hit a innocent by-stander. However, that could have happened in this situation as well regardless. How a cop could have rushed her from behind possibly. Thrown an object at her or tried some other method. Let me say, these men were big, burley, football sized men (and not bad looking if I may also ad.) so I don't understand it at all. Maybe one of the officers slipped and the other officers follwed along, but from someone who witness the gun shots, they were not spread out much at all. And one gun shot, if it absolutely needed to be shot, would more than sufficed. I am in shock at how arrogant, rude, homophobic, sexist and racist police officers are these days and how much crazy bull s#$% they get away with. I have worked with police officers closely at my job and have witnessed many wrong doings on the part of the officers. You can argue against it, but YOU KNOW DAMN WELL, it's true. I have lived on Sher lane my entire life and not once have I witnessed anything like this. Although, not knowing everything about what happened, I can only say how I feel about what I witnessed. If by chance, she happened to reach for another weapon, I do agree, she should have been shot. If she charged the cops with her knife, they {1. Should have been behind their vehicle doors for protection.{2. Should have incapacitated her, NOT kill her. That's my opinion.

I was in shock when i heared about the shooting, because i really had more faith in our men and women in the HBPD. I've been living here on sher st for 31 years now, and i've always felt pretty safe because of our brave men and women, but i was in complete shock when i heared about the incident, see i think problem goes to the lack of training those men and women recieve, i mean i think a well trained officer would have tried less lethal weapons(taser, rubber bullets, pepper spray, etc...), before you move to the next level, which is lethal force. Now one might argue, well there wasnt enough time for thoses options, she was too close, well now again lack of training, because a good officer would know how to distance themselves from a suspect with a knife. all i have to say is that this is a tragedy to both the family, and the police department.

"A lot" = 2 separate words.

Hey, its the crazy guy in all black you've seen at night, walking around RSM lake blaring his crazy Irish music, yes, I have a beard, you've probably seen me holding some tea while I walk.

Anyway, the cops around here are assholes really. They'll unload their guns into anything. They just like excuses to shoot. They are so bored, they'd probably call the SWAT team on a cat stuck in a tree, and send in a rescue helicopter with 4 gang prevention vans, thats about what happened the last time there was a fight at the local McDonalds.

I'm so sorry for the parents. How very sad. This could have been my daughter. They may have even have known eacher. I had to send her to another state because she was out of control and doing the same behavior. Still, I would feel horrible if this had happened to her. As bad as our children can be, we still love them, and stay awake at night hoping they are safe.

I can't believe that they couldn't control a small girl with a knife. If they absolutly had to shoot, why not in the leg. They will have to live with this forever. This poor mother will too. An out of control daughter who cuts you is scary but if her mother would have known the outcome I bet she wouldn't have called 911.

I am so sorry for anyone who knew her

Patty

What a shame!! The TEEN-not woman was 18, not 19. She weighed a mere 120 lbs and was obviously distraught over an argument with her mother. Her death was an unneccessary tragedy, which could have been easily avoided. The force used to stop this girl was inappropriate and excessive. The family is distraught and in shock over the incident, and appalled by the behavior of the police officers responsible. Obviously, these officers are in need of better training on how to handle such a situation. For, such training could have prevented Ashley's death, and kept her family from having to cope with such a tragic and needless loss. Our prayers and thoughts are with Ashley's mother Lisa. We will all miss her dearly.

The police who fired need to be tried with manslaughter, and put in jail.

GuyInABlackJacket wrote:

The police who fired need to be tried with manslaughter, and put in jail.

I was going to give you some s**t. But after you saying your from RSM. And me knowing and working that whole area from the start. I gotta give you the benefit of the doubt. Yea, that place is no LA, or SA, good but it is a whole different scene, that takes cops that understand that scene. Not cops that want a scene like SA or LA. Until then, don't stub your toe, or walk on the grass. You might get it for your own good.

I hope when somone shows up at your door with a knife the police don't come and save you.

You rant and rave about the same people you expect to be there when you are in danger.

Yes, it is a tradegy for all parties involved, including the officers. Do you honestly beleive the officers involved are sitting around the pool, drinking beers, and telling all their friends about the cool day at work they had. I guarantee they are with their families going through the same emotions as you are.

I have been harrassed, as I would call it at the time, many times by HBPD. Unlike some, I treat them with the respect they deserve and in return I receive that respect back.

If I pulled out a gun, knife, bannana, stick or anything else and simply wiggled it at them, I would expect some serious consequences for my actions.

Quit blaming the police for all the bad things that happen. It's time to start looking at yourselves and each other and figuring out why these unfortunate situations happen.

I am sick of people saying they should have done this, they should have done that, having never been in a situation that would give them a shred of credibility backing up what they say.

The police are not the problem.

The people in your city who commit crimes are.

I am the Uncle Of Ashley MacDonald and find this heartbreaking. The only problem Ashley had was with her mother, so any blaming should start there. My wifes brother who is her father saw her two years ago, when she came out her for Thanksgiving, and told her the door was always open and she could move out here to CT anytime she wanted,since then her mother would not let her contact her family out here. Her grandparents who also live out here are very distraught over this. Nobody really will ever know what caused her to snap or who is to blame, but there is more to this story than meets the eye.

J Smith wrote:

No matter what age, race, gender this person was it's always a tragedy when the result of a Police shooting is "death" to the Suspect, but gladly there was not any harm to innocent Citizens. As far as "shooting in the legs"...are you serious? First of all, you try shooting a knife weilding felony Suspect in the leg and when you miss I guess you can apologize to the poor kid you hit when your bullet goes through his bedroom window and it kills HIM. Police must "shoot to stop"...if that means hitting the part of the body which leaks the most fluid, then that's what they have to do. Unless you were there or were THE Officer(s) who shot, don't criticize something you don't know about. Lastly, unless you live some criminal lifestyle, what kind of "harrassment" or "power trip" are you talking about. Most, if not all, NORMAL Citizens don't have Police contact...it's called: Obey the law!

obviously you are a police officer so you need to stick by your own, and i can't imagine being in a police officers shoes but there needs to be more training for situations like these, so that officers don't jump the gun ( no pun intended ). And if they are unable to aim for such as a leg or arm then why, does it have to be multiple bullets? Are you telling me that a 120 lb girl with a knife wouldn't have been floored by one shot to the shoulder, chest, etc. At least it wouldn't be police overkill. but hey what do you care for this hardened criminal, oh wait thats right she had a fight with her mom and someone who didn't know what was going on called the police. But what better sentenance for such a crime as this , than death..........
Again my heart goes out to the family.

Those officers should be tried for murder. Any man that could not disarm a 120 girl is not much of a man, or an officer of the law. In my eyes they are nothing more than cowards and murderers.

canyons of your mind wrote:

<quoted text> I was going to give you some s**t. But after you saying your from RSM. And me knowing and working that whole area from the start. I gotta give you the benefit of the doubt. Yea, that place is no LA, or SA, good but it is a whole different scene, that takes cops that understand that scene. Not cops that want a scene like SA or LA. Until then, don't stub your toe, or walk on the grass. You might get it for your own good.

Ha threats? Such a shallow threat from such a shallow person. I was born in LA and lived there as well, smart ass, so there goes your assumptions.

Cops in general are egostistical pricks who dont give a shit about the community or the civilians in the neighborhood. I've met only one good cop out of all the cops ive known, and thats alot of cops.

You want to erase the stereotypes about those guys? Start with yourself big shot, stop the threats and get real.

Jimm wrote:

I hope when somone shows up at your door with a knife the police don't come and save you.
You rant and rave about the same people you expect to be there when you are in danger.
Yes, it is a tradegy for all parties involved, including the officers. Do you honestly beleive the officers involved are sitting around the pool, drinking beers, and telling all their friends about the cool day at work they had. I guarantee they are with their families going through the same emotions as you are.
I have been harrassed, as I would call it at the time, many times by HBPD. Unlike some, I treat them with the respect they deserve and in return I receive that respect back.
If I pulled out a gun, knife, bannana, stick or anything else and simply wiggled it at them, I would expect some serious consequences for my actions.
Quit blaming the police for all the bad things that happen. It's time to start looking at yourselves and each other and figuring out why these unfortunate situations happen.
I am sick of people saying they should have done this, they should have done that, having never been in a situation that would give them a shred of credibility backing up what they say.
The police are not the problem.
The people in your city who commit crimes are.

If someone shows up at my door threatening me with a knife, i'll bring my own knife, or better yet, my 37 inch scimitar, I don't need the police. I don't really care for the cops protection, they are only good when the dumbass kids are making too much noise next door or out in the street, and even then they just drive around and the kids run off.

Its not even funny anymore, why are my tax dollars going for donuts?

Tell me, what crime was a distraught teenager committing? Sure, she may have broken the law, but she was a kid. I don't care if your a cop, Jesus, or goddam Ghandhi, you don't shoot a kid for pulling a knife. If I was a cop, hell if I was in the national guard or even working for a security agency, I wouldn't shoot to kill a 14 yr old girl because she had a knife.

Knives are unrpedictable, they are usually introduced into a conflict in a concealed manner, but this girl had it out and was flashing it, with the manpower there, they wouldve easily taken it away from her.

This same crap happens in the war, bombing whole cities in Iraq because of one gunner, or blowing apart a home full of women and children because a "suspected insurgent" lives there. Get real people, you want less crime? Yeah I agree, start with yourselves, fire the morons that are in law enforcement and hire some real men, not these BS GI Joe commando wannabes.

Joe Dunn wrote:

Those officers should be tried for murder. Any man that could not disarm a 120 girl is not much of a man, or an officer of the law. In my eyes they are nothing more than cowards and murderers.

I totally agree.

If it was up to me, we'd organize a protest outside their house.

This is upsetting. To the family: I/we are so sorry for you lost. I can't imagine loosing a daughter, friend. I recently lost my brother who committed suicide at age 38. I can't imagine loosing a child. So sorry....

My daughter Sarah had pulled a knife on me a couple of times. Thank God they didn't shoot her. They actually didn't help at all any of the times we called. She was involved in the main street crowd and was doing crystal meth etc. She is doing well now after sending her away to another state.

It is hard to raise a child here in California. This is a pro child state on not parent. There arn't no programs to keep our children in making disapine very hard. They can leave. It's hard to get your kids help. I am sure she had good reasons for not sending her child to CT. Leave her alone...She is in morning. How dare you make a write about her mom in a public setting.

I am sure the shooters are in morning too. They will live with this for the rest of their lives.They sill they can't bring back a mother's daughter. I find it hard to believe they had to shoot. Why not injure instead?

My friend who is and has been a local attorney/judge for many years, commented about this. Too close to home.

Hopefully we can all learn from this. I will send articles to my daughter.

Peace and love to the Ashley's family, her friends and all the lives she touched.
Patty