Police chief: Woman armed with knife shot by officer

WASHINGTON (AP) — A woman was shot by a Washington, D.C., police officer at the scene of a fire Saturday evening in Northeast Washington.

The woman was armed with knives and she refused commands to drop them when police encountered her, D.C. police chief Cathy L. Lanier told the Washington Post (http://wapo.st/1gnNEhg ) Saturday.

Both police and firefighters were sent to a street about 9 miles east of the White House for reports of a fire. On the way to the scene police were told of someone there with a knife, she said.

Exactly what prompted the confrontation remained unclear.

"We don't really know what's behind this," Lanier said. No rigid rules determine how officers are to respond in such circumstances, she said.