83 Year Old White Woman Gunned Down by Altavista (VA) Police in her Backyard
Wednesday, September 26, 2012 at 01:01AM An 83-year-old woman has been shot and killed at her home by a police officer.
Delma Towler, of Altavista, Virginia, was gunned down at around 10pm on Wednesday after calling 911 to report a burglary.
When police arrived, the elderly woman was wandering in the backyard holding a gun.
Officers say they shot her after she repeatedly ignored their requests to drop the weapon.
But her daughters, Madeline Clark and Linda Langford, claim their mother was 'gunned down like she was an animal,' by police.
According to The News and Advance Lynchburg, Towler wasn't wearing her hearing aid or glasses at the time of the incident so may not have been aware that the two officers had been dispatched to her home.
Before police arrived, Towler got her gun - which she'd never used - from her nightstand and fired in the air from her bedroom as a warning.
She then attempted to walk through her backyard to her sister's house, two doors down. But before she made it there, the officer had fired, shooting the elderly woman dead.
Paramedics tried to revive Towler but were unable to save her and she died at the scene.
The officer, who hasn't been named, has been placed on administrative leave, WDBJ7 reported. He is believed to be a veteran with more than 10 years' experience in the force.
Family members are distraught at the woman's death and have vowed to make the police officer pay for the fatal shooting.