St. Paul police: officers shoot, kill woman who pointed gun at them after suicide call

St. Paul police officers shot and killed a woman who allegedly pointed a gun at them while responding to a "suicide in progress" call, a department spokesperson said early Tuesday.

In an overnight briefing, department spokesman Sgt. Mike Ernster said officers were called to the home in the 1100 block of Rose Avenue East "for a report of a suicide in progress."

"When officers arrived, a person in the home yelled for them to come inside and they were directed to a room at the back of the home," Ernster said. "They encountered an adult woman and were trying to work through what she was going through, trying to determine how they could help her, when she produced a handgun and pointed it at officers. Officers fired their duty weapons, striking the woman."

Police provided aid and St. Paul Fire Department medics pronounced her dead at the scene, Ernster said. The officers involved were wearing body cameras. They have been placed on standard administrative leave, and the shooting will be investigated by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.