Police received a call about a possibly suicidal woman with a history of mental illness, threatening to hurt herself with a pocket knife. They made visual contact with her on the Interstate moving south toward Auburn and pulled her over when she exited on Red Creek Road. The woman allegedly got out of her car and charged at officers, who opened fire, killing her at the scene.
Victim's Name: Melissa Boarts
Agency Responsible: Auburn Police Department
Gender: Female
Age: 36
Race: White
Date of Death: April 3, 2016
County: Macon
Cause of Death: Gunshot
Official Disposition: Justified
Criminal Charges: No known charges
Mental Illness: Yes
Armed: Unclear
Weapon: unknown weapon
Threat Level: other
Fleeing: Not fleeing
Body Camera: Yes
Washington Post Database ID: 1430
Geography: Rural