Cop Kills 93-Year-Old Woman, Mayor Calls for His Removal from Police Force
The mayor of Hearne, Texas, has called for the police officer who shot a 93-year-old woman to death to be relieved from his position. The community of Hearne has been grieving the loss and questioning the officer's actions against the woman who was an integral part of the small town.
"It's a loss of confidence in the community," Mayor Ruben Gomez told the Associated Press. "We can't have an officer the citizens have lost confidence in."
Mayor Gomez added that he will recommend the officer be fired during a special City Council meeting on Saturday. The officer in question, Stephen Stem, arrived on the scene at Pearlie Golden's home, on Tuesday. Her nephew called police and said that she was brandishing a gun. When Stem arrived, he asked Goldie to "put down the weapon and then ultimately fired his own sidearm, wounding Miss Golden."
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An autopsy showed that she was hit in the body by two bullets and grazed by a third. Witnesses have claimed that Stem fired a total of five shots, but that has yet to be proven. It's the second time that Stem has shot and killed a suspect since joining the police force in 2012. In his first shooting, he was cleared of all wrong-doing by a grand jury.
Hearne police have put Stem on administrative leave and have not issued any further statement about the situation, given the ongoing investigation into the shooting.
"There's no justification," William Foster told the AP. "Any police officer would know not to kill a 93-year-old fragile woman when they could have backed off. She was no threat to him."
Members of the community remember Golden fondly, as "Miss Sulie," and have held candlelight vigils in the days after her death. They have called for a complete investigation into her death and question why Stem fired as he did.
"While it is too early in the investigation to comment on any of the facts or evidence stated, I can say that this was a very tragic occurrence," District Attorney Coty Siegert told KHOU News. "My prayers go out to the family members of Miss Golden and to the Hearne Community as a whole."
"Even if she did have a gun, she is in her 90s," Lawanda Cooke added. "They could have shot in the air to scare her. Maybe she would have dropped it. I don't see her shooting anyone."
