Body-worn camera shows officers shooting Pacifica woman who appeared to point gun at them

The Pacifica Police Department released body-worn camera footage Thursday showing two officers shooting and killing a 50-year-old woman who appeared to point a gun at them. 

The department identified the officers as Kevin Contreras and Hayden Fry and the woman as Michelle Arrais. 

Police said they were called after Arrais shot her 23-year-old son in their apartment on Francisco Boulevard just before 8 a.m. March 27. 

The Pacifica Police Department released body-worn camera footage Thursday showing two officers shooting and killing a 50-year-old woman who appeared to point a gun at them. 

The department identified the officers as Kevin Contreras and Hayden Fry and the woman as Michelle Arrais. 

Police said they were called after Arrais shot her 23-year-old son in their apartment on Francisco Boulevard just before 8 a.m. March 27. 

“I was shot twice in my arm,” her son told a dispatcher frantically, according to a recording of the 911 call the department released along with the video. “I can live, I think.” 

Arrais’ son said he was awakened by gunshots before his mom came into his room and shot him, according to the recording. 

Arrais was driving out of the apartment complex in a white SUV as Fry and Contreras walked up on either side of the vehicle, the body-worn camera footage shows. The officers instructed Arrais to stop, the video shows.

The video shows Arrais point what appeared to be a handgun at the officer to her right and then the officer to her left. The officer to her right dropped to the ground. Both of the officers fired their guns. 

Arrais’ SUV rolled forward, then stopped. Fry, a corporal, walked up to the vehicle and removed the handgun, according to the footage. Also in the vehicle, in Arrais’ purse, were four boxes of ammunition, police said. 

Officers started CPR on Arrais, but she died at the scene, police said. 

Her son, who hid in a bathroom, suffered two gunshot wounds to his left arm and right wrist. He was taken to a hospital where he was treated and later released, police said. 

When officers searched the apartment, they found the family’s dog fatally shot. Investigators believe Arrais killed the dog before she shot her son. 

The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office will investigate and determine whether the shooting was justified under state law. The Police Department will investigate whether the officers followed policy. 

Both Fry and Contreras were placed on paid administrative leave in accordance with policy. Fry joined the department eight years ago. Contreras was hired last year after he worked for another law enforcement agency for six years. 

“It is always tragic when law enforcement intervenes with deadly force, regardless of the circumstances,” Police Chief Maria Sarasura said in a statement. “It impacts the family involved in the incident, our community, and the members of our police department. As police chief, I am committed to ensuring that all involved are treated with care and compassion while ensuring a full and thorough investigation into what occurred.”

https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/pacifica-police-shooting-footage-19386350.php

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