Bodycam captures tense moments before Longview police shoot, kill woman reported suicidal

The Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office released police body camera video Wednesday that shows the moments leading up to Longview police officers shooting and killing a woman on New Year’s Day.

The shooting happened shortly after 5 a.m. at a home on Columbia Heights Road near Parkview Drive in Longview.

Dispatch logs from that morning showed that officers shot the woman within about one minute of arriving on the scene. Police identified the woman as 29-year-old Katelynn Rose Smith of Longview.

A man called 911 and told the dispatcher that his girlfriend was suicidal.

The video shows Longview police arriving at the home, with at least one of them carrying what appears to be a high-powered weapon.

Then a man is seen standing inside the home and officers tell him to come out.

That man warns officers that Smith is going for the gun he left in a room.

Officers continued to order the man to get outside. He leaves, and the officers back out.

The man begged officers to not hurt the woman.

Smith then came out, appearing to point a gun at officers. They then shoot her.

“Put your hands up!” an officer can be heard on the body camera video. “Hold the frequency, she’s got a gun. Drop the gun! Drop the gun!”

Then gunfire, in rapid succession, was heard. In all, 23 shots were fired.

“Oh, my God!” the man screams.

The man has not been identified.

Investigators recovered a Colt .38-caliber pistol from the scene with a loaded magazine.

Investigators identified the police officers involved as Elijah Heston, Caitlyn Woolcott-Rose and Dylan Fletcher.

Investigators said Heston fired 12 shots from his pistol, Fletcher four from his pistol, and Woolcott-Rose fired seven shots from her pistol.

The officers were placed on leave, which is standard protocol.

The medical examiner said Smith was hit with six bullets.

Investigators said she did not fire her gun.