MEMPHIS, Tenn. — There will be no charges filed against two Shelby County deputies who shot and killed a Lakeland woman last year, District Attorney General Amy Weirich said Thursday.
The case involved the March 17, 2017, shooting death of 59-year-old Nancy Jane Lewellyn, who had called county dispatch to say that she was sick, had a gun and was going to kill herself or “the next somebody I see.”
“A thorough review of the TBI report showed that there are no criminal charges that could be brought against these two officers that would carry a reasonable likelihood of conviction,” Gen. Weirich said. “The victim made it clear that she was intent on causing deadly harm to herself or to others, and she left the deputies with no other choice but to fire their weapons. This was a tragic event for everyone involved.”
Lewellyn was armed with a large pistol as she came out the front door of a residence on Woodland Pine Cove West in Lakeland and was shot. She had told the dispatcher moments earlier that she had a gun that she guessed was a .45-cal. pistol. The gun was later identified as a Marksman Repeater BB pistol.
By law, TBI reports on officer-involved fatal shootings prior to May 4, 2017, are not open to the public without a subpoena or a court order.
The TBI report can be found online here.