U.S. marshal dies in shootout with police

**MisterK** · 05-15-06, 04:37 AM

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AP) -- A deputy U.S. marshal was killed in a shootout with police officers who had stopped the agent for driving erratically early Sunday, authorities said.

Mary Fisher, 46, refused to stop when officers tried to pull her over and led the officers to her home around 6 a.m., according to Sgt. Vince Higgins, a police spokesman.

When the officers told her to get out of the car, she opened her door, pulled out a gun and started shooting at them, Higgins said.

Officer Patrick Taylor, 34, was shot in the leg. He was taken to a hospital, where he remains in stable condition.

The other officer, whose name has not been released, was unharmed.

Both officers have been relieved of duty while the investigation continues.

Fisher was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said they could not say how many times she was shot.

Fisher had been in Memphis for several years and began her career as a deputy marshal in the early 1990s, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.

"Nobody saw this coming. No, there's no prior history that I'm aware of that would have brought this on," said David Jolley, a U.S. Marshals spokesman.

Sheriff's deputies went to Fisher's home just before 10 p.m. Saturday after a woman there dialed 911 and hung up.

Fisher was gone by the time they arrived, but a work associate at the house told deputies Fisher was delusional and had driven away, according to a joint statement from the sheriff's office and police.

Her car was spotted a few hours later driving recklessly near a crash scene police were investigating, authorities said.

The officers called for assistance, and Taylor and the other officer responded.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/15/mar....ap/index.html

**Lucky Seven** · 05-15-06, 04:43 AM

Stress?

**Falcata** · 05-15-06, 05:40 AM

very sad story all round...

There are times like this, i'm glad most people don't have access to firearms in the UK...

**Ducky** · 05-15-06, 10:58 AM

Safety, as a deputy US Marshal, she wasn't just a member of the general public and would have had access to weapons anyhow. Sadly, it sounds like something made her snap.

**nitestokker** · 05-15-06, 11:10 AM

Makes my top five list for one of the worst things I would ever have to do.....shoot a fellow cop. Feel bad for all three and their families....

**Sapper_132** · 05-15-06, 11:26 AM

Damn, to much stress build up and no where to releave it. Sad story for all.

**Iron Man** · 05-15-06, 01:25 PM

That sucks.

Signal_W · 05-15-06, 01:40 PM

The story is that she was going through some type of relationship problems, not sure how true. The officer who was shot used to work at my precinct. I knew of him, but we didn't talk, we were on different shifts. I know he had knee surgery recently and went to Northeast Precinct to slow down. And of course he was hit below the knee. He is doing fine and will be out the hospital soon.

Memphis Cops Kill Deputy Marshal
Cordova shootout follows call to 911 and erratic driving

By Chris Conley
May 15, 2006

A deputy U.S. marshal, who had shown recent signs of erratic behavior, was killed in a shootout with Memphis police in the driveway of her Cordova home early Sunday. Mary Fisher, who was assigned to the Emergency Management Task Force, was dead of gunshot wounds when paramedics arrived at her home at 1143 Palmina Cove about 6:30 a.m.

Memphis Police officer Patrick Taylor, 34, was shot in the leg and remained in stable condition at the Regional Medical Center at Memphis Sunday afternoon. A second officer involved in the shooting was not injured. Authorities did not identify the second officer.

Both Taylor and the other Memphis officer were routinely relieved of duty with pay pending further examination of the shooting.

"This is very distressing," said U.S. Marshal David Jolley. "Most of the deputies (in West Tennessee office) knew her well. ... It came out of left field on us," he said.

He said Fisher, 46, began working in the Memphis office in the early 1990s but had since been assigned to the task force, which is associated with Homeland Security.

Fisher lived alone at the Palmina address, but sometimes had a daughter with her, neighbors said.

The new brick home is in the Cordova Club area near Germantown and Macon, and is not part of the city of Memphis.

Investigators could not say whether the shooting was related to Mother's Day, but said a domestic dispute appears to have precipitated her actions.

The shooting came after eight hours of searching for Fisher, Shelby County Sheriff's Department spokesman Steve Shular said.

About 10 p.m., a woman dialed 911 from Fisher's home, but hung up before speaking to dispatchers.

When sheriff's deputies went to the home, they met with a co-worker, another deputy U.S. marshal who told them Fisher was suffering from delusions and had driven off in her white BMW.

A description of her vehicle was broadcast to all local law enforcement agencies.

About 6 a.m., two Memphis Police officers working a wreck at Germantown and Macon noticed a white BMW moving erratically, driving around them and appearing to taunt them.

The officers called for another squad car to follow the BMW. The driver refused to stop, and led the officers to the driveway at 1143 Palmina.

The officers ordered her from the car, Shular said.

At first there was no response, then the driver leaned out, got out of the car, and started shooting.

Police could not say how many shots were fired in the exchange, but the BMW was riddled with bullet holes, with both front windows pierced several times.

Crime scene detectives gathered numerous slugs and other evidence from the driveway, including a woman's sandal.

One spent round was retrieved from the tee off box at a golf course across the street.

Another bullet hit the downspout of a house down the street.

Deputies obtained a warrant and searched the house Sunday. As a precaution, bomb experts were called in to check for explosives, but found none.

"It's pretty unusual for this area," said neighbor Madeline Lee. "In eight years this is the first time anyone has been killed."

Link to Video of the Story

**Ducky** · 05-15-06, 01:43 PM

That article makes me think maybe it was a suicide by cop.

Signal_W · 05-15-06, 01:45 PM

Originally Posted by TattoodDucky

That article makes me think maybe it was a suicide by cop.

Thats what I have heard many people suggest

**Iron Man** · 05-15-06, 03:41 PM

Sometimes people just go nuts for unknown reasons.

**mxwelch** · 05-15-06, 09:57 PM

Originally Posted by Safety1st

very sad story all round...

There are times like this, i'm glad most people don't have access to firearms in the UK...

Sorry, but she wasn't most people. If the situation would have happened in th UK she still would've been armed. I don't want to turn this into a pissing match but don't you feel sorry for the good people there when a firearm could've saved their life?

**Beans** · 05-15-06, 10:16 PM

Like we don't have enough to worry about!! One of our own????!!!!

**Standard Dave** · 05-16-06, 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by mxwelch

Sorry, but she wasn't most people. If the situation would have happened in th UK she still would've been armed. I don't want to turn this into a pissing match but don't you feel sorry for the good people there when a firearm could've saved their life?

Don't think it would have hardly anyone is allowed to carry off duty.

FishTail · 05-16-06, 10:11 AM

If she was even armed here in the first place. Not that many cops here carry on duty, let alone off.

**Ducky** · 05-16-06, 09:31 PM

Somehow I don't think she was concerned about her duty status when she opened fire.

**zpd307** · 05-16-06, 09:39 PM

Originally Posted by Ducky

That article makes me think maybe it was a suicide by cop.

i agree.

**StanSwitek** · 05-17-06, 01:32 AM

Maybe I'm cold hearted but in my book, when you start shooting on duty uniformed police officers who are in the lawful performance of their duties, you don't get my sympathy. None. Most us us have gone through a tough time or two in our lives. Did we react that way & start shooting fellow officers? I have responded to too many scenes where cops have ben shot. I'll save my concern for the injured officer & his family.

**121Traffic** · 05-17-06, 02:38 AM

Agreed, Stan.

**Virginian** · 05-17-06, 09:01 AM

I agree as well. Even if she hadn't shot at them and only intended to have them kill her by pointing her weapon at them, I still feel it was a selfish move. The officers who killed her now have to deal with that the rest of their lives. Most officers, even in a clean shoot on a bad guy, don't deal well with having killed someone.