Texas Rangers are investigating the police shooting of a 17-year-old girl in East Texas. Three officers of the Longview Police Department were called to the lobby of the police station where they were confronted by Kristiana Coignard. She was allegedly brandishing a weapon and police shot and fatally wounded her.
At approximately 6:30 p.m., Coignard entered the police lobby and contacted the dispatcher requesting to talk to an officer, according to an article in the Marshall News Messenger. When officers arrived at the lobby, Coignard allegedly confronted the officers and brandished a weapon. Police spokeswoman Kristie Brian said Coignard “came at the officers and was shot.” Police have not identified the weapon she was brandishing, but Longview Mayor Jay Dean said Coignard was “wielding a knife.”
An initial autopsy performed by the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas revealed she was shot in the trunk and upper body, according to an article in the Longview News-Journal. The manner of death was ruled a homicide.
Coignard’s aunt, Heather Robertson, told ThinkProgress that her niece had been hospitalized twice in recent years after attempting to commit suicide. Robertson revealed her niece had been suffering from mental illness including depression and bipolar disorder. She said she believed her niece’s actions were “a cry for help.” Coignard’s mother died when Coignard was three years old.
Coignard had reportedly been a student at Pine Tree High School in 2013. The school district would not reveal whether or not she had graduated.
At this time, the identities of the officers involved in the shooting have not been revealed. Their experience level and service records have also not been revealed. The officers have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the Texas Rangers’ investigation.
This is the third police-involved shooting in the past year for the small town police department. In August 2014, Longview Police Officers shot and killed 23-year-old Regan Marshall Wagner. Wagner had been pulled over for a traffic stop and allegedly presented a gun. The firearm was later found to be unloaded. In October 2014 ,Longview police shot and killed another teenager, Justin Michael Aguilar. This suspect was allegedly involved in an armed robbery at a gas station when he was shot and killed.
Coignard’s Facebook page also revealed her interest in aliens and other dimensions. In her last post, ten days before she was killed, she posted a picture that shows a young boy and girl walking into what appears to be another dimension. In August 2014, she posted a picture of an alien. She was a member of the “Extra-Terrestrial Races and Civilizations” and the “Exopolitics” Facebook groups.
Bob Price is a senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas and a member of the original Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.
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