A woman wielding a hammer and screaming outside a mental health clinic in Rosemead was shot dead by a sheriff's deputy after she continued to threaten people, even after being shocked by a Taser, officials said.

The 40-year-old woman appeared to be mentally ill and was holding the hammer and threatening to strike people Wednesday afternoon in the 9300 block of Valley Boulevard when L.A. County sheriff's deputies were called.

Deputies were attempting to talk the woman into putting down the hammer, but she did not respond to their pleas, officials said.

They then tried to subdue her by stunning her with a Taser, but that did not stop her, officials said. She advanced toward the deputies, holding the hammer above her head when a deputy fired two rounds, the Sheriff's Department said.

The woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

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-- Rick Rojas

Image: Map shows location of Wednesday's shooting in purple, as well as 30 other homicides, in red, since January 2007. Credit: Los Angeles Times