Disturbed woman's shooting death 'unacceptable,' says de Blasio

A New York City police sergeant shot and killed a 66-year-old emotionally disturbed woman in the Castle Hill section of the Bronx Tuesday evening. Investigators want to know why he didn't use his Taser instead.

Deborah Danner was alone and armed with scissors, according to police.

The sergeant--identified by the NY Times as Hugh Barry, an eight-year veteran of the NYPD--talked the woman into dropping the scissors, but she grabbed a baseball bat, said police.

"As the woman attempted to strike the sergeant he fired two shots at the woman from his service gun," the NYPD tweeted.

Danner was hospitalized, but she died.

Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed the media on the shooting Wednesday afternoon. 

"Something went horribly wrong here," said de Blasio. "We need to know why this officer did not follow his training, protocols."

The state attorney general's office says it's determining whether the shooting falls under its jurisdiction.

Sgt. Barry was stripped of his weapon and placed on modified duty.

"Our policy is isolate and contain. What's clear in this instance is that we failed. When a life is taken as it was last night you have to ask tough questions and that's what we will do," said NYPD Commissioner James O'Neil.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. issued a statement condemning the shooting, calling it an "outrage."

“While I certainly understand the hard work that our police officers undertake to keep the streets of our city safe every single day, I also know what excessive force looks like. This elderly woman was known to the police department, yet the officer involved in this shooting failed to use discretion to either talk her down from her episode or, barring that, to use his stun gun. That is totally unacceptable."

“Tonight’s incident is all too reminiscent of the case of Eleanor Bumpurs and a much darker time for this city and this nation in terms of police/community relations.

“Hasn’t anything changed over the last 32 years?

“I call on Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and District Attorney Darcel Clark to begin an immediate investigation.”

Commissioner O'Neill tweeted about the deadly shooting saying he wants answers.

"My commitment as police commissioner is to get to the answers of what happened," said O'Neill.

With the Associated Press