Officials around Los Angeles are investigating the death of Vanessa Marquez, an actress best known for roles in the TV series “ER” and the movie “Stand and Deliver,” who was shot by police Thursday after she pointed a BB gun at them.
South Pasadena police shot and killed Marquez during a welfare check Thursday afternoon, according to police reports.
When officers arrived at her apartment, Marquez was having a seizure. She later “became uncooperative, and appeared to be unable to care for herself,” according to the police report, which also noted that she may have had mental health issues.
Police called medical personnel, including a county mental health clinician, who arrived on the scene to offer care and speak to her. After more than an hour and a half, Marquez took out what appeared to be a weapon, which led to police shooting her.
“The weapon recovered at the scene was a BB gun, and described as a replica semi-automatic handgun,” the police report said.
Marquez later died at a local hospital. According to local news reports, she had been shot in the torso.
Deputy Sheriff Armando Viera Jr., public information officer for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, confirmed Friday that the victim was Marquez.
The sheriff’s department is overseeing an investigation into the shooting, which is standard for officer-involved shootings.
Last year, Marquez claimed George Clooney, her “ER” co-star, “helped blacklist” her after she alleged sexual harassment and racial discrimination. Clooney denied the claims.
“I had no idea Vanessa was blacklisted,” he said in a statement to TheWrap. “I take her at her word. I was not a writer or a producer or a director on that show. I had nothing to do with casting. I was an actor and only an actor.”
“If she was told I was involved in any decision about her career then she was lied to,” he continued. “The fact that I couldn’t affect her career is only surpassed by the fact that I wouldn’t.”