Who Is Renee Davis? Police Shoot And Kill Pregnant Native American Mother In Washington

Police shot and killed a pregnant Native American woman with a history of depression last Friday, the Seattle News Tribune reported. Renee Davis was inside her home on the Muckleshoot reservation in Auburn, Washington when authorities went to check on her well-being after the 23-year-old told a friend she “wasn’t feeling right.” The friend then notified police.

“They tried repeatedly to get somebody to come to the door, nobody did,” King County Sergeant Cindy West told KOMO-TV of the two responding officers. “But, they could see the two kids running around inside the house.” Davis was five months pregnant and had three children, aged two, three, and eight. The youngest two were inside the home with her.

When sheriff’s deputies finally entered the home, they found Davis brandishing a handgun alongside her two children, West said. Both officers fired at Davis and at least one shot hit her, though it was not immediately clear what led to the shooting. Davis was pronounced dead at the scene. Both children were unharmed.

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“It’s really upsetting because it was a wellness check,” Davis’ foster sister Danielle Bargala told the Seattle News Tribune. “Obviously, she didn’t come out of it well.” Bargala said she wasn’t sure if her sister owned a handgun, although she did own a rifle for hunting.

Both sheriff’s deputies have been placed on administrative leave, according to KOMO. One officer had eight years of experience while the other had been with the sheriff’s department for three years. An investigation is underway to determine exactly what happened in the moments that led up to the fatal shots being fired.

Auburn police are in the midst of conducting a different investigation into another police-involved shooting that took place earlier this year. A man in his sixties was fatally shot by officers last month after they responded to a report of “malicious mischief,” local station KING 5 reported. No details were immediately provided regarding what led up to the shooting.