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Delma Towler, an 83-year-old grandmother, was shot and killed by an Altavista, Virginia, police officer on the night of Sept. 19, 2012, minutes after she dialed 911 from her home and hung up without speaking, according to police accounts and local news reports.

Towler called for help because she believed someone was trying to break into her house on 10th Street, family members told WTVR and other outlets. She hung up before saying anything, and dispatchers tried repeatedly to reach her again to warn that the officers arriving outside were police.

On the recordings later released by the department, a dispatcher can be heard saying, "The Altavista Police Department is outside and needs someone to come to the door," and later, "You're armed with a handgun. You need to put it away. It is the police department." Investigators said Towler was not wearing her hearing aids or glasses, which relatives said would have left her unable to understand what was happening around her.

Police said that as officers approached, they heard gunshots inside the home. Towler then came out a back door holding a handgun, according to the account prosecutors reviewed, and turned toward Sgt. L.P. Rigney. Rigney ordered her to drop the weapon, and when she did not, he fired three rounds from a rifle, striking her in the leg, hip and neck. The wound to the neck was fatal.

The Altavista Police Department released the 911 and dispatch recordings on Sept. 28, 2012. Towler's daughter, Madeline Clark, said the tapes supported the family's belief that her mother thought she was defending herself against a prowler rather than confronting police.

Roanoke Commonwealth's Attorney Donald Caldwell reviewed the case and announced on June 17, 2013, that the shooting was a justifiable homicide and that no charges would be filed. Caldwell said his review included footage from lapel cameras worn by two officers at the scene, the investigation by Virginia State Police, and his own visits to the property. Members of Towler's family disputed the finding and said they were considering a civil lawsuit.