'I cried': Birmingham woman says woman shot and killed by police officer should not have died

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. —

After a deadly officer-involved shooting, a Zion City neighbor said the woman who was shot and killed by police should not have died.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency identified the woman as Vanessa Ragland. It described her as a "confrontational individual" when a Birmingham police officer was called to a house on Brunson Avenue just after 5 p.m. on Wednesday.

ALEA said Ragland confronted police, and the officer tried to use less-lethal force to get control of the situation. The agency said Ragland was still being combative and fought with the officer, and that’s when the shots were fired. Ragland died at the hospital, and no officers were hurt during the shooting.

A Facebook post from a woman who said she’s Ragland’s family member says Ragland was autistic. The p