Woman, 82, shot by Tulare County sheriff’s deputies

An 82-year-old woman was shot by deputies when she brandished a gun, but she suffered only minor wounds and will survive, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said Monday.

The incident began about 9:20 a.m. Monday on Road 132 just north of Visalia.

The department received a call from a family member that the woman was making threats with a handgun. She is identified as Nova Edgar.

When deputies arrived, she brandished the handgun and began making threats, Boudreaux said at an afternoon news briefing. Negotiations involving a robot equipped with a microphone went on for about three hours.

She left the room and brandished the handgun and two deputies opened fire, Boudreaux said.

“The officers were absolutely forced to use their weapons,” Boudreaux said. When deputies rushed to disarm her, “the handgun was firmly in Nova’s hand,” he said.

One of the bullets hit Edgar under her upper right arm.

She was taken to Kaweah Delta Medical Center where “she is doing fine,” Boudreaux said. “We’re happy it’s a minor wound.”

The Visalia Police Department is investigating the shooting at the request of the Sheriff’s Department, an arrangement the two departments have used in the past for officer-involved shootings.

The two deputies involved are on paid leave while the investigation is underway.

This story was originally published September 21, 2015 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Woman, 82, shot by Tulare County sheriff’s deputies."