This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Police in Alabama said officers shot a woman who had shot an intruder during a home invasion after she didn’t drop her weapon.

Huntsville police spokesman lieutenant Darryl Lawson told local news site AL.com the woman’s estranged husband came into the house she shared with her mother armed with a gun on Sunday afternoon. The woman opened fire with a shotgun, wounding him.

Her mother called 911 and when police arrived, they heard gunshots and saw the woman in the garage holding the shotgun. They demanded she drop the weapon and when she turned toward them with the gun in her hand, at least one officer fired.

Officers say the estranged husband’s injuries are life-threatening. The woman is expected to survive.

Lawson says the officer who shot the woman has been placed on administrative leave.