Woman in Michigan police standoff dies after being struck with ‘less lethal round’

COLOMA, Mich. (AP) — A woman has died after being struck in the chest with what police say was a “less lethal round” during an armed standoff early Wednesday with officers in southwestern Michigan.

The woman called 911 and reported that people were going to try and set her Coloma house on fire, the Berrien County sheriff’s office and Coloma Township police said in a release.

An officer reported that when he arrived at the home, he saw a woman pointing a long gun at him and his vehicle.

The woman made several calls to 911 and said “her intent was to shoot police officers,” according to the news release.

Police said she refused commands over 90 minutes to drop the gun and exit the house with her hands up. As officers were entering the house, less lethal rounds were used to take her into custody. One of the rounds fired by a Berrien County deputy penetrated her upper chest. She later died at a hospital. Her name has not been released.

Less lethal rounds are used by police departments as alternatives to bullets and are designed to impact rather than penetrate a target.

Michigan State Police are investigating the shooting. The deputy who fired the round has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

Coloma is about 177 miles (284 kilometers) west of Detroit.