Deputies fatally shoot armed woman, 71, in Pearland complex

Brazoria County deputies investigate a homicide in the 2400 block of County Road 90, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, in Pearland. Brazoria County deputies investigate a homicide in the 2400 block of County Road 90, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2016, in Pearland. Photo: Jon Shapley Photo: Jon Shapley Image 1 of / 6 Caption Close Deputies fatally shoot armed woman, 71, in Pearland complex 1 / 6 Back to Gallery

Brazoria County authorities said Friday that a 71-year-old woman was fatally shot by deputies this week because she pointed a gun at them.

The Brazoria County Sheriff's Office identified the deceased woman as Judy Boardman Hundley, a divorced mother of two.

Deputies responding to a report of a woman carrying a gun outside the Summerwind Apartments on Tuesday afternoon encountered Hundley, a resident of the Pearland-area complex, authorities said.

They repeatedly asked that she drop the gun, but she did not, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.

A sergeant and deputy shot Hundley after she raised her handgun and pointed it toward them, said sheriff's investigator Andrew Kerstens said. "They responded according to their training," he added, firing fewer than 10 rounds.

Kerstens did not disclose whether she had said anything to deputies, because he said the motive for her actions remained under investigation. Hundley died at the scene.

The handgun that was recovered, a Smith & Wesson revolver, was not registered to Hundley, Kerstens said. Rather, it was registered to a man living in Florida whom investigators were attempting to contact. Kerstens refused to comment on whether the gun was loaded, citing the ongoing investigation.

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A witness, who worked as a leasing agent with the apartment complex, had called the sheriff's office at 1:12 p.m. He said he had seen Hundley in the parking area at the back of the complex with a gun, according to Kerstens.

When he approached Hundley, the witness told deputies, she told him to "leave her alone," according to the news release. So he went to an office to contact law enforcement, "which is what he's supposed to do, when you've got somebody who's walking around with a gun," Kerstens said.

Seven deputies initially arrived to the complex, located at 2414 County Road 90.

Dash cameras would have recorded the incident, but there was no surveillance footage of the area, Kerstens said. (Kerstens said the dash-cam video would not be released before a grand jury considered the case.)

Investigators have found no evidence of a criminal record for Hundley. They are awaiting medical records and the autopsy report. The sheriff's office and the Brazoria County District Attorney's Office are conducting separate investigations. The deputies were not placed on leave.

Hundley had lived in Texas for about eight years and was retired, Kerstens said. She'd previously lived in Florida. Hundley has a child living in each state, he said. Her family was notified and asked not to be contacted by media, according to the news release.

Online court records from Polk County, Florida, show that Hundley had several previous marriages that ended in divorce. She listed her state of birth as Indiana. Records from Orange County, Florida, show Hundley and a man, both unmarried, bought a home in Orlando in July 2001. Hundley turned over the home solely to the man in 2007.

Dana Guthrie contributed to this report