FRESNO, Calif. (KMJ/KFSN) — Authorities have identified a woman who they say was shot by an officer as she held a knife to an innocent bystander in Fresno last week.
The shooting happened Thursday afternoon at the Fax Transit Center on Blackstone near Shields avenues.
The Fresno Police Department says 39-year-old Joanna Lopez held the knife to a woman and refused to drop it.
An officer fired one round at Lopez, hitting her in the head.
She was taken to a local hospital, where she remains in critical condition as of Monday.
The bystander did not suffer any visible injuries.
Officials say Lopez had expressed suicidal thoughts leading up to the shooting.
The officer who fired the shot has been placed on routine paid administrative leave as the investigation continues.
Listen to the report by KMJ’s Liz Kern.
