A Bullhead City, AZ police officer responding to a domestic violence call was forced to shoot a woman Sunday night after she aimed a black airsoft gun at the officer.

Preliminary reports issued late Monday afternoon indicated that the Bullhead City 911 dispatch center received a call shortly before 8 p.m. from a woman who threatened to shoot her girlfriend and herself. The officer, who has not been publicly identified, responded to the scene moments later and reportedly was confronted by a woman holding what appeared to be a handgun. When the woman allegedly aimed the gun at him, he opened fire, striking the 44-year-old woman at least once.

Medical personnel responded; the woman was pronounced dead at Western Arizona Regional Medical Center. Police have not released her identity.

The two other individuals inside the residence at the time of the shooting were not injured.

The police officer has been placed on routine administrative leave while the incident is being investigated.

This is a lesson that shouldn’t need to be learned more than once: it’s nearly impossible for anyone to distinguish a toy gun from a real gun when it’s pointed right at them. In a fight-or-flight situation like this one, an officer has to assume the gun is real or they put their own life at risk.

You choose to use a fake gun just as you would a real gun, then you’ll face the real consequences of doing so.