Actress shot dead by cops after she pointed toy gun at them

Vanessa Marquez, an actress who had a recurring role in the hit TV series “ER,” was fatally shot by police as she waved what turned out to be a BB gun, authorities said.

Officers had gone to her home in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena on Thursday to conduct a welfare check when the 49-year-old Vanessa Marquez grabbed what looked like a handgun and pointed it at officers, said Sergeant Joe Mendoza, of the LA Sheriff’s Department.

He said after the incident “officers checked the weapon and they discovered it was a BB-type gun that resembled a semi-automatic handgun.” Mendoza said Vanessa Marquez’s landlord had called police to check on her and when officers arrived she appeared to be having a seizure.