Bodycam footage released by the South Pasadena Police Department shows the moment that officers shot and killed the former ER actress Vanessa Marquez. Police officers shot and killed Marquez, 49, in August 2018 while conducting a “welfare” check on her.
The officers reportedly came to Marquez’s house after a friend called the fire department to express concern about her well-being. The fire department then called the police.
The officers found Marquez’s house in a chaotic jumble when they arrived.
An officer called her name, saying they had come to check on her well-being. The officer found her in bed, shaking uncontrollably. She told the officer she was having a seizure.
The officers called paramedics and a mental health clinician. The clinician interviewed her to assess her condition. She responded to the questions but her responses were mostly unintelligible.
The clinician eventually decided that Marquez would have to be admitted to the hospital.
Marquez wanted the officer to kill her
Officer Carillo then read a document, saying that Marquez was not under criminal arrest but that they wanted to take her to the Huntington Memorial hospital for examination by a mental health professional.
Marquez was sitting on her bed when the officer explained that they were placing her under a 5150 hold because she was “gravely disabled and danger” to herself. She answered weakly that she did not want to go with them.
But the officer insisted that she would have to come.
“I’m not going,” she repeated, staring down at a cell phone she was holding.
Marquez then pulls something from under a cover.
Believing that the object was a weapon, the officer backed out of the room with his gun drawn.
“She’s got a gun,” he shouted as he retreated from the room. “She’s got a gun.”
“Drop the gun,” he shouted.
Marquez shouted that she wanted him to kill her.
“I’m not going to kill you,” the officer responded. “Drop the gun.”
The officer retreated down the stairs to the ground floor where the other officers were waiting.
He then stood at the foot of the stairs with his gun ready. They called out to Marquez to drop the gun and come out with her hands up.
“Vanessa, drop whatever is in your hand right now,” the officer can be heard calling out when she appeared at the top of the stairs.
Moments later the officers opened fire and Marquez, who was standing at the top of the stairs, was hit. She was then shown lying lifeless on the ground at the top of the stairs.
The video includes a close up in which Marquez appeared to be holding a gun and pointing it at the officers. There was a gun reportedly recovered from the scene which the video also points out.
Who was Vanessa Marquez?
Vanessa Marquez was born in December 1968 in Los Angeles, California.
She played Nurse Wendy Goldman on NBC’s ER. She was also known for TV roles, such as Janice Ramos in Malcolm & Eddie and Consuelo Burns in Wiseguy.
She was known for her breakout role as Ana in the movie Stand and Deliver (1998), according to her IMDb page.
Marquez also appeared as Montana’s Daughter in Blood In, Blood Out (1993) and Melanie in Tweny Bucks (1993).
She guest-starred on TV shows such as Seinfeld. She also played Linda Cortez in the television series Melrose Place.
Marquez alleged that she was groped on the set of ER and that she was blacklisted after she complained, according to Page Six.
She battled mental health issues, including depression and OCD, before her death. She appeared in an episode of the A&E reality series Intervention. The episode followed her as she struggled to overcome her mental health issues.