Naked Woman Shot by Off-Duty Fla. Cops: 'Armed and Irrational Female' Dead
'It's So Bizarre,' Says Neighbor
A naked woman was shot to death by two off-duty police officers in Spring Hill, Fla. Saturday. The woman had approached the two men with a weapon at a social gathering, prompting their response.
The naked woman who was shot was 42-year-old Inga Marie Swanson, a local resident. At around 1:15 in the afternoon that day, she approached off-duty police officers Detective Rocky Howard and Officer William Mechler, who were at a gathering in Hernando County. When she first showed up uninvited, she was naked and acting strangely.
"She was not part of the gathering nor was she invited to the gathering," Hernando County Sheriff Al Nienhuis told ABC News. "It's not like she was part of the group."
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However, later on, she returned as an "armed, naked and irrational female," the county sheriff's office said in a statement. "One or both of the law enforcement officers fired their weapons, striking the female."
Swanson succumbed to her injuries and died at the scene, according to reports.
"It's so bizarre," Steve Hulgin, a neighbor who lives down the street from where the shooting took place, explained. "You feel sorry for the girl. Obviously there had to be something wrong with her."
Still, there are questions as to whether or not Swanson was as dangerous as she looked while wielding a weapon. Two other men, Robert Collins and El Eylward, saw Swanson earlier that day, according to The Tampa Bay Times. Although she was behaving strangely, they didn't feel they were in danger.
"Are you okay?" Collins asked Swanson, who was naked and walking down the road. "I'm okay. Just a little lost," she responded.
20 minutes later, the men were surveying a mobile home and some land Eylward was considering buying when the woman approached them. The naked woman opened the door to the mobile home carrying a large silver cross.
"Antichrist. Antichrist. Antichrist. This meeting is over," Eylward recounted the woman said. Others have testified to her deep religious background in the past. Collins, who was armed with his .380 pistol, did not reach for his weapon because he didn't feel he was in any danger.
The men failed to notify authorities about the incident, though- it's something Eylward felt could have saved Swanson's life.
Officers Melcher and Howard have been placed on administrative leave as per standard procedure. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is currently investigating the incident.
