LYNCHBURG, Va. – The woman shot by police Wednesday in Lynchburg was the same woman who was already shot by police back in May.
Now, we’re asking law enforcement, how could this happen, and why?
Police say officers were dispatched to Miller Park, after reports that a woman was chasing a man in the park with a knife.
The woman, Ashley Biggs Neeley, was sitting at a bus stop on Park Avenue in an agitated state, according to police.
Police say when they tried to calm Neeley down, she pulled out a knife and went after the officers.
According to the report, one officer shot their department-issued taser and another fired their department-issued handgun, hitting Neeley once.
“Officers responded to the area of Miller Park on Park Avenue for reports of an assault in progress. During the course of the investigation, there was an officer-involved shooting,” Lynchburg Police Department Communication’s Manager Kylie Kidd said.
But this isn’t the first time this has happened.
Back in May, police responded to an incident at Neeley’s house, when they say she attacked them with knives.
Neeley was shot then as well.
She was taken into custody and charged once released from the hospital.
10 News reached out to Lynchburg Police for answers on how this second incident could have occurred, but they directed us to State Police, who are handling the investigation.
When we asked State Police, they responded that they wouldn’t comment on ongoing investigations.
So, we called the Blue Ridge Regional Jail — where Neeley was supposed to be at the time of the incident.
The jail wouldn’t go on camera, but they tell us Neeley had been there when she was released on furlough for court-ordered mental health treatment.
Blue Ridge says Neeley was ordered to report back to the jail as soon as her treatment was complete, but she did not return.
The person we spoke with says they were able to make contact with her, but she still did not return — at which point the court was contacted, and a warrant was made for her arrest as an escapee.
