In July of last year, two rural Idaho police officers shot and killed 35-year-old Jeanetta Riley after she brandished a knife at them outside a hospital. The Guardian has acquired footage of the shooting, which it has published in conjunction with a long account of the events leading up to and following Riley's death.

Riley's husband Shane had driven her to the hospital after she threatened to kill herself, the Guardian reports. When they arrived, she pulled out a knife. He ran inside and asked hospital staff to call the police. His wife was dead within 15 seconds of the officers arriving at the scene.

A Native American woman addicted to methamphetamine and alcohol, Riley was pregnant at the time of her death. Both officers involved in the shooting have been cleared of any wrongdoing.

Fourteen hours later and 45 miles away, police shot and killed a dog named Arfee. "Two weeks ago, the dog’s owner received a payout of $80,000," according to the Guardian. "Jeanetta Riley’s husband and three daughters have not, so far, received as much as an apology."

Police in the United States kill nearly 1,000 people on average each year and at least half of those shot and killed by police reportedly have mental health problems.


Image via The Guardian. Contact the author of this post: brendan.oconnor@gawker.com.