FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A woman has died after being shot by a Fresno police officer while allegedly holding a knife to an innocent bystander.
Fresno police say 39-year-old Joanna Lopez died on Friday, April 18.
The incident happened on April 10 at the FAX Transit Center on Blackstone near Shields Avenue in Central Fresno.
A FAX driver saw Lopez with a knife and called police.
When officers arrived, they ordered Lopez to drop the knife but instead, she allegedly approached another woman and put the knife to the back of her neck.
Officers say Lopez refused their commands, and an officer fired one round, hitting Lopez in the head.
The bystander was not injured.
The officer who fired the shot was placed on routine paid administrative leave.
Officers say Lopez had expressed suicidal thoughts leading up to the shooting.
