A woman who called Sooke RCMP, saying she had just killed three people, discharged a replica handgun as Mounties surrounded her property Sunday night.

Sooke RCMP believe she was attempting to commit “suicide by cop.” Officers were able to take the woman into custody without any injuries.

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The call came in about 6:25 p.m. from a 46-year-old woman living on Harbourview Road. She said she had just killed three people — which was later determined not to be true — and that she had a loaded firearm that she would use against police officers if they came to her home, said Staff Sgt. Steve Wright, the officer in charge of Sooke RCMP.

The woman had been charged previously with assaulting a police officer.

Four Mounties — two senior constables, a junior constable and a supervisor — surrounded the residence. At the same time, a dispatcher was on the phone, trying to convince the woman to surrender peacefully. The woman obeyed orders to walk outside, but she was holding what looked like a handgun, Wright said.

She discharged it toward the trees, but officers could tell by the sound that it was a pellet gun. The supervisor was able to restrain the woman and take the gun away.

She was taken to hospital for a mental-health assessment and will not face criminal charges.

kderosa@timescolonist.com