Kansas City police shoot woman after long standoff in park

Kansas City police shot a suicidal woman armed with a gun after a standoff lasting several hours Wednesday afternoon in a park near Interstate 35 and Chouteau Trafficway.

The woman was taken to a hospital after the shooting, which happened about 4 p.m.

The incident began about 1:30 p.m. when officers were called to the Chaumiere Lake park, where the woman had parked her vehicle and told a friend she might kill herself.

The woman remained in the vehicle for nearly three hours while police talked with her.

Police brought in mental health experts to try to defuse the situation, said Capt. Tye Grant, a Kansas City police spokesman.

The shooting happened when the woman got out of the vehicle with a handgun and ignored repeated demands to drop it, Grant said.

The woman raised the gun toward one of the officers, and an officer shot her once in the chest.

This story was originally published May 25, 2016 at 4:59 PM with the headline "Kansas City police shoot woman after long standoff in park."