DE AG: Trooper justified in fatally shooting mentally ill woman

DOVER, Del. (AP) — The Delaware attorney general’s office says a state trooper was justified in using deadly force against a mentally ill woman who fired a shotgun at him.

A report released Tuesday concluded that Trooper Dean Johnson reasonably felt in fear for his life and the lives of others when he fatally shot 51-year-old Kelly Rooks in March 2021. Troopers and medical personnel went to Rooks’ house in Seaford after she called 911 to complain she had been poisoned by her neighbors. Rooks then refused to go to the hospital.

Investigators said she emerged from a bedroom and fired a shotgun at Johnson. He returned fire, hitting Rooks five times.

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