From: SFGate
By Henry Lee 2/7/15
Police officials have released the names of two Emeryville officers who shot and killed a woman after they say she pointed a gun at them after stealing from a store and trying to carjack three motorists.
On Friday, authorities also confirmed the identity of the slain woman as 38-year-old Yuvette Henderson of Oakland.
Officers Michelle Shepherd and Warren Williams, both seven-year veterans, opened fire on Henderson after police said she pointed a gun at them Tuesday in front of Extra Space Storage at 3406 Hollis St. in Oakland, just over the Emeryville border.
The shooting happened shortly after Henderson was caught stealing knives that she had hidden under her purse in a shopping cart at a Home Depot store, police said.
Two loss-prevention officers confronted Henderson outside the store at 3838 Hollis St., Chief Ken James said. She refused to come back with them, reached into her purse and pulled out what turned out to be a gun under a towel, authorities said. The loss-prevention officers let her go and called police.
Henderson fled south on Hollis and tried to carjack three motorists at gunpoint, police said. Shepherd and Williams found her near the storage center and opened fire after she brandished the gun, police said. She died at the scene. A loaded revolver was found nearby, James said.
The woman didn’t fire any shots. Police gunfire struck at least one vehicle, the chief said.
Shepherd fired one shot that apparently didn’t strike Henderson, while Williams fired six shots from an AR-15 rifle, said the officers’ attorney, Steven Betz. Williams believed the gunfire struck Henderson in the head and arm, Betz said.
“They both gave her commands, multiple times, to put the gun down,” Betz said. “She, unfortunately, did not comply for whatever reason. They took action that I think was appropriate.”
Williams was testing a body camera at the time but didn’t activate it until after the shooting, police said.
Henderson was cited for petty theft in October from the Target store in Emeryville, authorities said.
The shooting is under investigation by Oakland police and the Alameda County district attorney’s office.
