Police fatally shot a Greenwood woman following a car chase Tuesday night.
Monica W. Vaught, 49, died following the police pursuit that ended at the Greenwood Police Department, 186 Surina Way.
Police responded at 11:16 p.m. to a report of a drunk driver on Madison Avenue near County Line Road. A female driver, later identified as Vaught, was driving southbound in the northbound lanes of Madison Avenue, Greenwood Police Chief James Ison said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
Officers located Vaught about a mile south of the county line, and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. However, Vaught kept going and a chase ensued through downtown Greenwood, Ison said.
During the chase, Vaught stopped a few times. She also struck a telephone pole near Meridian and Wiley streets. She eventually entered the police department parking lot from Washington Street and continued to make evasive maneuvers, striking multiple patrol cars, he said.
“We do not know why she came to the Greenwood Police Department at this time. I’m hoping that throughout the course of the investigation we can shed a little light on that,” Ison said.
Officers attempted to box in Vaught’s car, but she made her way out. She then sped toward officers at high speeds and officers opened fire. It is unknown if she was struck by the initial gun fire, as she continued to drive around the lot, he said.
Vaught circled the lot and drove in the direction of the officers several times. Finally, she stopped for a few moments at the north end of the lot, revved her engine and sped toward the officers, Ison said.
Officers opened fire again, striking Vaught. They administered aid until emergency medical services personnel arrived and pronounced her dead, he said.
“A woman lost her life … a mother, a daughter that the family no longer has,” Ison said. “The four officers involved have to live with that for the rest of their life. I can tell you I was involved in a fatal police-action shooting in 2008, and that is something you never forget — that never leaves you. It is a tragedy all around. The sad part is we may never know why.”
About eight officers were involved during the chase and four officers fired at Vaught. They have been put on paid administrative leave pending the investigation, per the department’s policy. The officers are not being identified at this time, he said.
The investigation into the incident will be two-pronged, including a criminal investigation and an internal investigation, Ison said.
Greenwood police are working with the Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office on the criminal investigation. There is no reason to believe the officers committed a crime. Body and surveillance camera footage, at first glance, suggests the officers followed procedure, he said.
“It is a 2,000 pound weapon,” Ison said, referring to the car. “The officers went through a progression and means to deescalate the situation. They tried to end it peacefully, but ultimately, their lives were put in danger and they had to react.”
Greenwood police have several unanswered questions about the incident. They are hoping to get some clarity from Vaught’s family about her state of mind at the time, and what substances she may have been under the influence of, he said.
“I’m not prepared to say it was an attack on the station,” Ison said. “It is bizarre. We don’t know why (she did it). We may never know why.”
Vaught did not have a violent criminal history, but did have several traffic infractions, according to online court records. Criminal charges of conversion from 2021, and domestic violence from 2008, were both dismissed, court records show.
