Woman Fatally Shot By Police After Killing Neighbor, Police Say

MISSOURI CITY, TX – A woman who police said killed her 65-year-old neighbor, was shot and killed by police during a confrontation outside an apartment complex Sunday night. Police were called to the Quail Valley Apartments at 10:30 p.m. for a traffic accident, but when they arrived, police found a crash scene with no victims.

Witnesses told police that 39-year-old Dereshia Blackwell was acting strange when she pulled up to the front entrance of the apartment complex and blocked the gate. According to witnesses, a couple in a red pickup pulled up behind her and asked her to either go through the gate or move out of the way, but she apparently refused.

A few minutes later, witnesses said Blackwell slammed her car through the gate and crashed into the couple’s pickup and another car in the parking lot. After the crash, Blackwell got out of her car and ran into Karl Gomez’s apartment, who was her neighbor, and killed him, according to police.

Police arrived shortly after the crash and were searching for accident victims. That's when neighbors at the complex began calling 911 to report a disturbance inside Gomez’s apartment, investigators said.

Police responded to that area of the complex and confronted Blackwell, who was holding a knife and a gun. One of the officers used a taser to try and stop Blackwell when she refused to drop the weapons. When the taser didn’t work, one of the officers fired several shots at Blackwell. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police went to Gomez's apartment where they found him dead. Police have not said how Gomez was killed.

The officer was not injured and has been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of the investigation. The Texas Rangers are investigating this officer involved shooting.

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