Probe Launched After Fatal Police Shooting Of Woman Who Threatened Suicide

The Broward County Sheriff’s Office said 28-year-old Kristen Ambury was armed. But details of the tragedy remain scarce.

Police in the Florida city of Sunrise shot and killed a woman they described as armed and suicidal on Friday, according to local reports.

Veda Coleman-Wright, a spokeswoman for the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, told the Sun-Sentinel that a Sunrise Police SWAT team had been dispatched on Friday afternoon to the apartment complex where 28-year-old Kristen Ambury lived. Ambury had barricaded herself in the apartment alone, was threatening to commit suicide and had a weapon, according to police.

According to Coleman-Wright, the SWAT team entered the apartment after Ambury “stopped communicating with officers.”

Details are limited about what happened next, but a neighbor told NBC 6 that she heard five gunshots. Ambury, who WSVN-TV reported had a history of mental illness, was later pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured.

It remains unclear if Ambury fired any shots. The sheriff’s office said it had launched an investigation into the woman’s death.

If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also text HELLO to 741-741 for free, 24-hour support from the Crisis Text Line. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources.

Before You Go

"Young L.A. Girl Slain; Body Slashed in Two" ― L.A.'s Daily News

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