DC Driver's Sister: She 'Didn't Deserve to Die'

The focus in the aftermath of this week's deadly car chase in DC is shifting from the search for a motive—it's becoming clear that driver Miriam Carey had mental health problems and suffered from delusions—to a debate over authorities' use of force. "Deadly force was not necessary," Carey's sister Valarie, who happens to be a former NYPD transit police sergeant, tells the Daily News. She "didn't deserve to die." She and another sister, Amy, made their case at a news conference yesterday, arguing that Miriam Carey was unarmed and had her toddler in the car, reports Reuters. "I don't know how their protocols are in DC, but I do know how they are in New York City."

The Washington Post reports that 17 shots were fired at two different locations at Carey's black Infiniti by members of the Capitol Police and the Secret Service. And while most big police departments either prohibit or restrict officers from firing at a moving vehicle, the Post says it's unclear whether the policies of either agency involved were violated. An internal review is under way. The story also quotes Terrance Gainer, the Senate's sergeant at arms who once served as chief of the Capitol Police, as calling the shooting justified given the extraordinary circumstances. Carey “refused at gunpoint to surrender," he says. "She posed a threat to people and a threat to the Capitol facilities as well as the White House.” (More Miriam Carey stories.)