Officers responded at 7:51 a.m. to the apartment complex in the 2500 block of Francisco Boulevard after a man had called 911 to say that his mother shot him inside their residence, Pacifica police said.
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The officers saw the woman driving away from the scene and when they tried to contact her, she allegedly pointed a firearm at officers, prompting police to shoot her. She was pronounced dead at the scene, while the son was taken to a hospital in stable condition, according to police.
Neighbors said it was so loud, they originally thought it was construction work.
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"I've never heard gunshots before in my life, so I was expecting like a 'pop, pop, pop' like a firework. This was not a 'pop, pop, pop.' This was more like a 'bang, bang, bang,' like dropping the heavy equipment that they use below me, and I was like 'What are they doing this morning?" said Cheryl Croft, a Pacifica resident.
Just outside of the Beach Bungalows apartment complex, one Ford Escape could be seen with at least five bullet holes in the driver's side door.
The driver's side window, shattered.
"I heard about five to six gunshots, I thought. But then, again, I was thinking 'well maybe it's fireworks,' because we get a lot of fireworks around here," said Kristin Briscoe, a Pacifica resident.
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Neighbors say it's usually a quiet area.
"I've lived here 13 years, and we've never had this type of action, and we live on a very busy street. We've got the beach right down the street, so I feel lucky that it's not an occurrence that comes around a lot," Croft said.
It's still unclear what led to this violent encounter.
Police say the man who was shot is expected to survive.
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Pacifica police did not specify how many officers opened fire on the woman, whose name is not yet being released.
The San Mateo County District Attorney's Office is conducting an independent investigation into the case, as is standard protocol for shootings involving law enforcement in the county.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Pacifica police at (650) 738-7314.
Bay City News contributed to this report.