SPRING, Texas – A Harris County Sheriff's Office deputy shot and killed a woman in Spring after she refused orders to drop a pistol, according to a Harris County Sheriff's Office spokesman.
Michelle Dieterich Miller, 46, was shot in the 2300 block of Spring Dane Drive around 9:30 p.m. Monday night.
Sgt. Cedrick Collier said deputies were conducting a welfare check at the request of the Iowa Park Police Department.
"They stated that a female here was making threats to kill the family members there," Collier said. "Family members there were receiving threatening calls that she wanted to kill them, and she also stated that she was going to harm any law enforcement that (were) responding to this address."
Collier said Miller arrived home Monday night and got out of her vehicle with a pistol.
"Deputies gave her orders to stop, drop (and) put down the weapon," Collier said. "She refused to obey the orders at which point she turned and raised the weapon in their direction. One deputy fired his weapon, striking her."
Emergency crews were called to the scene but Miller was pronounced dead at the scene.
Miller’s brother is heartbroken. He visited his sister’s home Tuesday afternoon to get some of her affairs in order.
“It was terrible. She was my sister,” Miller’s brother said.
Neighbor Dennis Burrows was watching TV when he said he heard four or five gunshots.
He’s known Miller for a few years and said on occasion he would receive odd phone calls from her.
“She would call me on the phone and say, 'If you see anybody by my house, call the police. They have some people that are after me from Egypt,' all sorts of stuff,” Miller said.