LCSO: Woman fires at deputies, kills herself following stand-off with law enforcement
A woman fatally shot herself after firing at law enforcement agents who were responding to the scene of a stolen vehicle, according to the Leon County Sheriff's Office.
On Wednesday, a woman called police to report that her daughter stole her car and a shotgun. The following day, around noon, she called again to say her daughter retuned to her home in the 1200 block of Waterfront Road in northeast Leon County.
When deputies arrived at the house, 39-year-old Terri Bennett who police say was the suspect of the initial call, began shooting at deputies.
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Bennett retreated to the stolen vehicle, where she continued to fire shots, said LCSO in a social media post on the incident.
Around 2 p.m. deputies used tear gas in an attempt to get Bennett out of the vehicle, said LCSO spokesperson Angela Green. That's when police say she turned the gun on herself and pulled the trigger.
"(She) suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound," read a social media post by LCSO, adding that no law enforcement agents were injured. She was pronounced dead at the scene.
It's unclear if the gun Bennett stole from her mother was the same one she used to fire at police and kill herself.
"It's still under investigation," said Green Friday afternoon.
Bennett, who is the mother of two children, was previously arrested on a battery charge in 2019 after she allegedly hit struck her mother-in-law in the face, according to court records.
At the time, Bennett's mother in-law-had custody of her two children, per the Department of Children and Families.
In January of the following year, Bennett was arrested on a warrant out of Jefferson County for violating probation she received from a previous grand theft charge.
Members of Bennett's family have not returned a reporter's phone calls or messages as of Friday afternoon.
When the scene was active, Iamonia Landing Road, which runs parallel to Waterfront Road, was flooded with LCSO tagged vehicles as well as unmarked cars.
Less than two hours later, around 4 p.m., most law enforcement agents left the scene but deputies continued to block off Waterfront Drive.
Deputies as well as a tow truck carrying a silver Hyundai hatchback left the scene around 6 p.m.
Jessie Clayton, who lives just down the road from where the shooting occurred, said "nothing like this ever happens" in the secluded area just up the road from Lake Iamonia.
"It's so quiet down here," he said as he passed the scene on his afternoon walk.
Contact Christopher Cann at ccann@tallahassee.com and follow @ChrisCannFL on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Woman fires at deputies, fatally shoots herself in north Leon County
