California police shot and killed former “ER” actress Vanessa Marquez when they visited for a welfare check and she pulled a “BB-type” gun on them, according to a new report.
Cops were called to Marquez’s South Pasadena home around 2 p.m. Thursday after a landlord reported that the woman was in some kind of trouble, Lt. Joe Mendoza of the LA Sheriff’s homicide bureau said at a press conference, The South Pasadenan reported.
“At the time [of the shooting], there was an LA County mental health clinician here with the officers,” Mendoza said. “They began to communicate with her; she became very uncooperative and during that contact, she armed herself with a handgun, she pointed it at the officers and an officer-involved shooting occurred.”
Cops later recovered a BB gun that “resembled a semi-automatic handgun.”
Mendoza said the woman, who sources identified as Marquez, “was undergoing some medical problems, some seizures, [and] it appeared that the female was gravely disabled,” according to the report.
The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department is investigating the incident, as is protocol for all police-involved shootings, according to the report.
Police had been called to Marquez’s home in the past for help, Mendoza told the outlet.
Marquez played Nurse Wendy Goldman on the popular NBC drama “ER” from 1994 to 1997. She also played the role of Ana Delgado in the 1988 film “Stand and Deliver,” and appeared in the flicks “Night Children” and “Blood In, Blood Out,” among others.
In October, Marquez accused former “ER” co-star George Clooney of helping to blacklist her from the show in 1995 because she complained about being sexually and racially harassed on set.
“Clooney helped blacklist me when I spoke up abt harassment on ER. Women who dont play the game lose career…I did,” she tweeted at the time.
In a statement, Clooney denied the claims.
“I had no idea Vanessa was blacklisted. I take her at her word,” the actor said at the time. “I was not a writer or a producer or a director on that show. I had nothing to do with casting. I was an actor and only an actor. If she was told I was involved in any decision about her career, then she was lied to. The fact that I couldn’t affect her career is only surpassed by the fact that I wouldn’t.”
Witnesses and sources called Marquez a talented woman who was beloved by her friends — but had recently battled with health issues, including celiac disease and seizures.
Marquez was a member of the cinephile group Turner Classic Movies Party, which paid tribute to her in a tweet.
“I am devastated to say that Vanessa Marquez @R2DivaLA was shot and killed by the South Pasadena police on Thursday afternoon,” Turner Classic Movies tweeted late Thursday. “I met her through #TCMParty, I hope she knew how much we loved her and I hope too that she is at peace.”