Police fatally shoot mentally unstable 66-year-old woman in her Bronx apartment


A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
A New York Police Department officer fatally shot a mentally ill Bronx woman, Deborah Danner, in her apartment Tuesday after she allegedly charged at him with a baseball bat. She was 66 years old.
Cops were called to the apartment after Danner's neighbors heard her screaming, which they attribute to her failure to take her medication. On arrival, they found her nude, visibly troubled, and holding a pair of scissors. Officers convinced Danner, who was African-American, to drop the scissors, which they say she threatened to use as a weapon; she then reportedly picked up the bat. NYPD Sgt. Hugh Barry says Danner charged him, and he fired twice. The elderly woman was struck in the torso and rushed to a nearby hospital where she died from her injuries.
NYPD Assistant Chief Larry Nikunen says investigation of the incident will examine why Barry did not use the Taser he was carrying instead of immediately opting for lethal force. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted a promise of thorough scrutiny of the case late Tuesday, saying, "We're determined to get to the bottom of what happened and won't rest until we do."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Black Lives Matter protesters intend to demonstrate in Danner's neighborhood this week. "When you hear about these situations, it begs the question: How much training do these police officers have with dealing with those who are mentally ill?" said Hawk Newsome, a Black Lives Matter representative. Per data from The Washington Post, about 1 in 4 of those fatally shot by police are "mentally ill or experiencing an emotional crisis."
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
-
What Trump's New York fraud conviction means for his business empire
Speed Read A New York judge has ordered many of Trump's companies to be placed into receivership and dissolved, but questions remain
By Peter Weber Published
-
'Poisonous'
Today's Newspapers A round-up of the headlines from the UK front pages
By The Week Staff Published
-
Drug could allow you to 'grow new teeth'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
Why police are downing firearms after the Chris Kaba murder charge
The Explainer Army drafted in after scores of armed Met officers 'revolt' over charging of colleague
By The Week Staff Published
-
Mobsters jailed by Giuliani are 'thrilled' with his RICO prosecution. Former fans are sad.
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Police video shows GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson profanely threatening Texas trooper in rodeo altercation
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Ecuador anti-corruption presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio shot dead before election
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
DOJ investigating alleged racial profiling among Connecticut troopers
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Police reach potential breakthrough in Tupac Shakur murder case
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Top suspect in transformative 1982 cyanide-laced Tylenol murders dies uncharged
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Ex-US gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar reportedly stabbed in prison
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published