The Associated Press
MEMPHIS, Tenn.- A deputy U.S. marshal was killed in a shootout with police officers, wounding one, who had stopped the agent for driving erratically early Sunday, authorities said.
Mary Fisher, 46, refused to stop when officers tried to pull her over and led the officers to her home around 6 a.m., according to Sgt. Vince Higgins, a police spokesman.
When the officers told her to get out of the car, she opened her door, pulled out a gun and started shooting at them, Higgins said.
Officer Patrick Taylor, 34, was shot in the leg. He was taken to a hospital, where he remains in stable condition.
The other officer, whose name has not been released, was unharmed.
Both officers have been relieved of duty while the investigation continues.
Fisher was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said they could not say how many times she was shot.
Fisher had been in Memphis for several years and began her career as a deputy marshal in the early 1990s, according to the U.S. Marshal’s Office.
“Nobody saw this coming. No, there’s no prior history that I’m aware of that would have brought this on,” said David Jolley, a U.S. Marshal spokesman.
Sheriff’s deputies went to Fisher’s home just before 10 p.m. Saturday after a woman there dialed 911 and hung up.
Fisher was gone by the time they arrived, but a work associate at the house told deputies Fisher was delusional and had driven away, according to a joint statement from the sheriff’s office and police.
Her car was spotted a few hours later driving recklessly near a crash scene police were investigating, authorities said.
The officers called for assistance, and Taylor and the other officer responded.