Deputy Kills Woman Wielding a Pitchfork

An elderly woman who telephoned the Sheriff's Department on Sunday night to report vandalism, then lunged at deputies with a pitchfork and butcher knife, was shot and killed by a deputy, authorities said.

The woman repeatedly threatened the first deputy who arrived at her house on Rhea Lane in the unincorporated community of Nuevo, prompting him to call for backup, a department spokesman said.

When deputies entered the house to assess the woman's welfare, she charged them with the pitchfork and a knife, he said.