'She put herself in this position': Delco DA discusses deadly officer-involved shooting in Chester

Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer spoke with Action News on Wednesday about the officer-involved shooting in Chester that left a suspect dead.

"It's a tragedy that she lost her life, but she put herself in this position," Stollsteimer said. "Unfortunately, law enforcement had to do what it had to do."

WATCH | Woman dead after police chase that began in Delaware ends with crash, shooting in Chester, Pa.

The woman was identified by family on Tuesday night as 22-year-old Yazmyn Stewart.

The suspect who died has been identified by family as 23-year-old Yazmyn Stewart.

She was killed after a wild chain of events that started when police tried to serve a warrant in Wilmington, Delaware, on Tuesday, but she fled.

Police then chased her northbound on Interstate 95 to Upper Chichester, Pennsylvania. There, she crashed her vehicle and carjacked someone else.

Yazmyn Stewart

She then reportedly got into a shootout with two Delaware State Police troopers before driving to Chester, where she crashed again.

Then police say she broke into a home, stole a gun and a car, and died after another shootout with 10 officers.

"You have to remember, the police officers at the final stage of this, are basing their judgment on everything that's transpired," said Stollsteimer.

That will be part of the investigation into whether the shooting was justified.

Stewart has a history of criminal charges.

In 2021, she was convicted of shooting a man in Wilmington in 2020 and was sent to prison from May 2021 to October 2023.

After a probation violation, she returned to jail in March of 2024 but was able to bail out.

She was wanted on an active warrant with another shooting that took place in December of 2023, shortly after she got out of prison when this chain of events started.

"Certainly looks like a completely police-justified shooting, but I'm going to wait on the final report," Stollsteimer said.

A total of 12 officers fired shots at Stewart throughout the ordeal, including seven members of the Delaware State Police, three members of the Wilmington Police Department, one member of the Trainer Borough Police Department, and one member of the Chester Police Department.