Stafford authorities said a suicidal Florida woman stopped at a Walmart, fired a gun, and held authorities at bay

From a press release: 

The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office has taken into custody an armed suicidal subject who was located in the Walmart parking lot on Garrisonville Road early on Friday morning.

On December 8, 2017 at approximately 5:15 a.m., the Sheriff’s Office responded to a call regarding a possible armed subject in a vehicle in the Walmart parking lot. The caller heard the sound of a gunshot, which detectives later confirmed to be true.

Upon arrival, deputies encountered a white female armed with a handgun sitting in her vehicle. The subject, later determined to be 57 years old, pointed the gun towards her head and told deputies she was going to kill herself.

Deputies set up a large perimeter to ensure public safety and established a strong law enforcement presence in the parking lot. Mine Road between Garrisonville Road and Greenspring Drive was closed to traffic during the incident.

During the encounter, the subject attempted suicide-by-cop. She repeatedly asked for the police to kill her and attempted to provoke a lethal response from law enforcement by pointing her weapon at herself and law enforcement. She later told investigators she did not have the courage to kill herself and hoped police would do it.

After several hours of negotiations, the subject was taken into custody. The subject told investigators that she resides in Florida and has been grappling with several personal problems. She pulled over in Stafford with the intention to commit suicide. She also confirmed that she did fire her weapon earlier that morning.

The subject is being held on an emergency custody order and is undergoing medical treatment at Mary Washington Hospital.