A Missouri family is demanding answers after a white woman was shot dead during a traffic stop by an officer she allegedly threatened to s...
A Missouri family is demanding answers after a white woman was shot dead during a traffic stop by an officer she allegedly threatened to shoot - but police say they don't know whether she even had a gun.
Hannah Fizer, 25, was killed on Saturday night in Sedalia, a city of 21,700 residents about 90 miles southeast of Kansas City.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol, which is investigating the shooting, said an unnamed sheriff's deputy shot Fizer after she claimed she had a gun and threatened to use it on him.
'The suspect allegedly threatened the deputy by stating she was armed and going to shoot him,' MSHP said in a news release. 'The incident escalated and the deputy discharged his weapon, striking the suspect.'
Fizer's father, John Fizer, said Monday that she never carried a gun and he doesn't believe she became belligerent with the officer.
He suspects his daughter had her phone in her hand 'because she always had her phone in her hand.'
John Fizer said he couldn't imagine what could have occurred to lead the deputy to shoot his daughter, and he questioned why the deputy didn't use a taser instead.
Authorities say Fizer (pictured in January) was shot after she claimed to have a gun and threatened to use it on the police officer who pulled her over. But Fizer's family have insisted that she doesn't carry a gun and would not have gotten belligerent with the officer
Hannah Fizer was driving to her job as an assistant manager at a convenience store when she was stopped near Interstate 50 and Winchester Drive.
She was pulled over because she was ran a red light while speeding and kept going as the deputy tried to stop her, patrol Sgt Bill Lowe said.
Further details about why the situation escalated have not been released. John Fizer said law enforcement officers haven't yet discussed the shooting with the family.
Patrol Sgt Andy Bell said there was no available dashboard camera or body camera footage of the shooting.
The county sheriff, Kevin Bond, said his department doesn't have or use such technology.
Fizer's father John (above together) said he couldn't imagine what could have occurred to lead the deputy to shoot his daughter, and questioned why the deputy didn't use a taser instead
The shooting comes amid increased scrutiny of officer-involved killings since the May 25 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.
Floyd, a black man, died after white police officer Derek Chauvin pressed a knee into his neck for several minutes even after he pleaded for air and eventually stopped moving. Both Fizer and the deputy who shot her were white.
Bond said the deputy, who has worked for Pettis County since 2007, has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, which is standard practice in officer-involved shootings.
The department has not had any previous complaints against the officer, he said.
Lowe said it was unclear Monday if Hannah Fizer had a gun because the warrant to search the car was still pending.
Officers administered first aid, but Fizer was pronounced dead at the scene. The deputy was not injured.
Fizer's boyfriend, James Johnson, told The Kansas City Star that Fizer wasn't armed when she left their place shortly before driving to work.
Her stepmother, Lori Fizer, also said she's never known Hannah to carry a gun.
The entire ordeal doesn't make sense, she said.
'We need to know exactly how everything went down,' she said. 'She weighed a whole 145 pounds and she was by herself.'
Fizer's boyfriend, James Johnson (above together), told The Kansas City Star that Fizer wasn't armed when she left their place shortly before driving to work
Fizer's family described her as quiet, kind and generous - not someone who would have verbally abused a member of law enforcement.
John Fizer said his daughter 'was not a perfect angel by any means. She liked to drink and smoke a little weed sometimes, but by no means was she violent. She was the kind of person that wouldn't hesitate to give a homeless person $10.'
Hannah Fizer pleaded guilty in April to possession of less than 10 grams of marijuana, a misdemeanor. And she pleaded guilty in March to misdemeanor driving while intoxicated.
John Fizer said that when his daughter was pulled over for the DWI, she immediately told the arresting officer that she knew she was in the wrong and accepted responsibility.
He said Hannah respected law enforcement and at one point considered trying to become a police or parole officer.
He said his daughter and the rest of the family believe there are good and bad officers and that some police reforms are needed but they generally support law enforcement and have not participated in recent protests over the death of Floyd and racial inequality.
The family set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Fizer's funeral costs.
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