Police shot and killed an emotionally disturbed woman inside an apartment building in the Bronx Tuesday night.
It happened just after 6 p.m. on Pugsley Avenue near Randall Avenue in Castle Hill.
Police say officers responded to call of an emotionally disturbed woman acting erratically.
When they got there they found a 66-year-old woman with scissors.
They say a sergeant talked the woman into putting the scissors down, but then she grabbed a bat and tried to hit him with it.
That's when he shot her twice.
Neighbors say the woman appeared to be mentally ill and are questioning the cop's use of excessive force.
"When you shoot somebody man it should be life or death you know, that's what you have stun guns and stuff like that for," said one neighbor.
"From what I've seen of her, I'm not surprised, because she was mentally — I'm sorry, mentally unbalanced," said another. "My neighbor told me 'cause she lives right next door to her, she said that lady be screaming and hollering, cursing and talking like she's battling, fighting somebody."
Police say the sergeant involved was armed with a stun gun, but it is not clear why he did not use it.
News of the shooting and the circumstances surrounding it caused some local officials to call for an investigation.
"Tonight's shooting of a mentally disturbed, 66-year-old woman in the 43rd Precinct is an outrage, especially given the New York Police Department's knowledge of this woman's history and the police officer's possession of a stun gun," Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said in a statement.
"While I certainly understand the hard work that our police officers undertake to keep the streets of our city safe every single day, I also know what excessive force looks like," the statement continues. "This elderly woman was known to the police department, yet the officer involved in this shooting failed to use discretion to either talk her down from her episode or, barring that, to use his stun gun.
"I call on Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and District Attorney Darcel Clark to begin an immediate investigation."
Likewise, Public Advocate Letitia James also issued a statement Tuesday night.
"I am deeply concerned about the police shooting that killed a Bronx woman in her sixties with apparent mental health issues," James said in the statement. "I am calling for a swift and thorough investigation into this tragic incident and for the findings to be released publicly. While we are still learning details about this evening's incident, I am renewing my call to expand the use of non-lethal use of force by the NYPD. I look forward to working with the NYPD toward common sense criminal justice measures that protect our police officers and the communities they serve."