Mesa police: Woman threatening suicide shot after refusing to drop gun

MESA - Police in Mesa say a woman was fatally shot after she threatened to commit suicide and refused to drop a handgun.

Offices responded to an apartment complex near Baseline and Extension Road at about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday night because a woman was threatening to kill herself. Mesa Police say when officers arrived at the complex, the woman ran from the scene, and the officers followed her.

According to police, officers told the woman to drop the gun several times, but she did not follow their orders. The officers then fired bean bags in an attempt to disarm her, but that tactic didn't work. Authorities say the woman then turned toward the officers, who felt threatened and fired their guns.

A Mesa Fire Department crew treated the woman at the scene and took her to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The shooting is currently under investigation. The woman's name has not been released.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.