Negotiators had her speak with a relative who encouraged her to stand down, but she «interpreted this as him being held hostage.»
Police gunned down an armed woman with a history of mental illness on Wednesday morning who believed the officers meant her severe harm. Betty Jane Tibaldi,54, of Pocono Township, Pennsylvania, reportedly fled her home on Tuesday night and engaged in a prolonged flight from police she believed were going to kidnap, rape, and murder her. She eventually became embroiled in an hours-long standoff with police, firing a handgun in their direction before being killed when the officers fired back, the Associated Press reported. Tibaldi had a history of mental issues, including schizophrenia, stepson Joseph Tibaldi told investigators, for which she had refused to take medication. She also had a history of conflict with the police, having once been escorted out of a hotel in Long Island by a SWAT team in the midst of a mental health episode in 2017.
