The South Pasadena police officers who fatally shot ER actress Vanessa Marquez in August 2018, will not face charges.
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office released a report Monday on the shooting, saying the two officers acted in “lawful self-defense” when Marquez pointed what appeared to be a gun at them after they responded to her home for a welfare check.
Related Story: Family of Actress Killed by Police Files $20 Million Wrongful Death Claim
Along with the report, bodycam footage from one of the officers was released.
The video, obtained by KABC-TV in Los Angeles, shows Marquez inside her cluttered apartment appearing to suffer a seizure. Officers told her they would take her to a local hospital to be evaluated. They say that’s when she picked up a handgun and they backed down a set of stairs.
The footage shows officers at the bottom of the stairs before they fire multiple shots after Marquez pointed what turned out to be a replica gun at them from the top of the steps. Four officers were present at the scene, but only two fired. The bodycam video was slowed and superimposed to show Marquez holding what appeared to be a gun.
Marquez played nurse Wendy Goldman on ER, and also had a role in the 1988 film Stand and Deliver.
As previously reported, she was fatally shot on Aug. 30, 2018. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department was brought in to investigate the fatal shooting. The sheriff’s department said Marquez appeared to be “suffering from mental health issues” when officers responded to her home.
In February 2019, Marquez’s family held a news conference saying they were filing a $20 million wrongful death claim against the city of South Pasadena. Vanessa Marquez was 49 years old at the time of her death.
