Photo: Wikipedia.org
This is truly terrifying.
By Nicole Pomarico — Written on Mar 03, 2020
A former ER star lost her life after she was fatally shot by police who were doing a welfare check on her at her home, and now, the footage has just been released.
Vanessa Marquez, who's known for playing Wendy Goldman on the medical drama, was gunned down by cops in 2018 after they told her they wanted to place a psychiatric hold on her.
But who is Vanessa Marquez? Here are all the details now that the horrifying body cam video is out there.
1. Marquez was killed in August 2018.
The incident started when Marquez's landlord called police to do a welfare check when he was concerned for her well-being. Once they arrived, police and a mental health clinician talked to her for 30 minutes before deciding to place her on a psychiatric hold but she refused to go to the hospital. She pulled out what appeared to be a gun and followed police with it, who then shot her 12 times. Marquez was fatally injured, but the gun was later discovered to be a replica.
2. The body cam footage from the incident is now public.
This week, less than two years after the shooting that took Marquez's life, the police officers' body cam footage of the incident has been released to the public. The footage is disturbing and while at first, Marquez is sitting on her bed, looking at her phone and telling cops she's "not going" with them, the situation quickly escalates. Vanessa emerges from her room with the replica gun, which police believe to be real. They tell her to come out with her hands up, and when she refuses to drop the gun, police fire shots. Later, Marquez's body is seen lying on the stairs.
3. But who is Vanessa Marquez? She was 49 at the time of her death.
Though Marquez was best known for her role in ER, that wasn't her only acting credit. She also starred in Stand and Deliver as well as other TV shows like Malcolm & Eddie and small walk on roles in popular series including Seinfeld and Melrose Place. Her final acting job was in the early 2000s when she appeared in two episodes of Wiseguy.
4. Marquez's family filed a wrongful death suit last year.
In February 2019, Marquez's mother filed a claim against police, accusing them of alleged "battery, negligence, unlawful entry, false arrest and imprisonment, wrongful death, negligent training, conspiracy, seizure of property, failure to summon prompt medical care and violation of the Bane Act."
5. Her family is also upset that the footage was released.
When the body cam footage hit the internet this week, Marquez's family released a statement about how disappointed they were with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office.
"Vanessa's family was not informed that video would be published," the statement said. "Vanessa's mother feels it was irresponsible for video to be published without any pre-advisement to her. She is a grieving mother, and the City has never once contacted her to meet with her to explain the circumstances of her daughter's death. She feels further violated by the way she has been treated and disregarded."
6. The officers involved in the shooting have officially been cleared.
On Tuesday, news broke that the officers involved in Marquez's shooting would not be charged for her death, as it was found that they were acting in self-defense after they saw Marquez with the gun, which they could not identify as a replica at the time of the shooting.
RELATED: How Did Jason Davis Die? Disney's 'Recess' Actor Dead At 35 In Los Angeles
Nicole Pomarico is an entertainment and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in Cosmo, Us Weekly, Refinery29, and more.