RUMFORD, Maine — The Maine attorney general has ruled that a Rumford police officer was legally justified in using deadly force against a suicidal woman who was advancing on him with a knife.
Police responded after 25-year-old Jessica Byrn-Francisco reported to her counselor that she'd ingested drugs in an attempt to take her own life.
Investigators say an officer tried to subdue her to take her into protective custody before she unfolded a knife. Investigators said she advanced on the officer before turning her attention to Sgt. Tracey Higley, who retreated before firing twice when she declined orders to drop the knife.
Investigators said both police officers tried to use stun guns but the tactics failed. The woman survived the shooting and faces charges of criminal threatening, a case that is pending.