TACOMA, Wash. — Lynne Butler, 61, was shot and killed by Tacoma police officers after an hours-long standoff on Jan. 9.
Ten days later, her daughter, Marjhawon Douglas, is still trying to make sense of the colossal loss.
“She was a mother," Douglas said. "She was a grandmother. She was a loving, giving, fun person, and she deserves to be here."
Tacoma police officers were called to Butler’s home at 9:21 a.m. after hearing the 61-year-old allegedly pointed a gun at her neighbors and fired several shots at them.
Police said officers were advised Butler had mental health issues and had visited the home in the past.
Marjhawon said her mother did suffer from dementia and tried to find support as best she could.
“She was catching the bus to the hospital, to St. Joseph’s every day,” Douglas said. “She was crying out for help. She was concerned for her health. My mother wanted to live.”
Investigators said SWAT arrived to assist after Butler allegedly pointed a gun at officers before going back inside.
Authorities said negotiators were called in to speak to Butler, but SWAT eventually shot and killed her.
However, Marjhawon said her mother needed a crisis responder, but one never arrived. When she tried to learn about her mother’s condition, she said no one was willing to help.
“To my knowledge, a crisis responder didn’t come, and to my knowledge, negotiators didn’t come,” Douglas said. “If we wanted to know where is she being taken, that’s not a difficult answer to give if you’re going to tell the media that she’s deceased. So why not tell us?”
Now Douglas is asking why more wasn’t done before shots were fired.
“I don’t understand how trained teams weren’t able to get my Mom down without killing her,” Douglas said.
KING 5 reached out to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department, which is looking into the shooting under the rules of I-940. A spokesperson for the department said the investigation is ongoing, but investigators will release more information next week.