Police shot and killed a homeless woman in Los Angeles recently, allegedly for threatening an officer with a screwdriver. The death raises questions that go beyond the conduct of the LA Police Department, according to PNS commentator Earl Ofari Hutchinson, and point to a change in attitude toward black women. Hutchinson is the author of "The Crisis in Black and Black."

LOS ANGELES -- Many called her "Mom" and describe her as sweet and harmless. She was a homeless, middle-aged, African-American woman, a familiar figure on the streets of mid-city Los Angeles.

Those who had encountered her reacted with puzzlement and outrage when Mom was gunned down by Los Angeles Police officers. Police claimed they stopped to question her about a stolen shopping cart and shot her when she threatened them with a screwdriver.

But witnesses say that the officers shot Mom as she walked away. And, even if the police account is correct, how much of a threat was a middle-aged 5-foot, one-inch woman weighing 102 pounds. Couldn't the officers have fired a warning shot? Radioed for help? Used non-lethal force such as a stun gun, tasers, rubber bullets, tear gas, pepper spray or bean bags?

Since they did not do any of these things, we must ask whether the killing of Mom was an aberration or just deadly business-as-usual for the LA police? This is the department that in the wake of the Rodney King beating became the national poster agency for police abuse.

One answer comes from the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, which recently issued a report concluding that problems of abuse still plague the LAPD and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The Commission recommended appointment of an independent prosecutor to investigate police abuse.

But the slaying of Mom raises a bigger question, and a more serious concern. Her killing comes several months after Tyisha Miller, another African-American woman, was killed by Riverside police officers. This brought to five the total of African-American women shot under questionable circumstances by police officers in Los Angeles and Riverside in the past three years.

This unprecedented pattern is a harsh reminder that, for many in law enforcement, black women are increasingly regarded, like black men, as menaces to society. While much of the media instill stereotypes of black men as lazy, violent, crime-prone, and predators, black women are now typed in much the same way.

The Riverside Press-Enterprise, the city's major daily newspaper, ran a feature story branding Miller as "aggressive," "assaultive," "a possible gang member" and "mistaken for a man." This heavy dose of stereotypes about black women rests solidly on deeply ingrained myths that have had these deadly consequences:

Image assault -- the image of the sexually immoral and physically aggressive black woman puts black women at risk in law and public policy. Police, prosecutors and the courts often ignore or lightly punish rape, sexual abuse and assaults against black women.

Devalued lives -- black women are far more likely to be raped, assaulted and murdered than non-black women. They are far less likely to have the media treat crimes against them as seriously as crimes against white women.

Prison -- for the first time in American history, black women in some states are being imprisoned at nearly the same rate as white men. They are seven times more likely to be jailed than white women.

Homelessness -- the killing of Mom also spotlights the crisis of homelessness among black women. More than half the country's homeless are African-American, and African-American women make up a significant segment of that total. While the homeless receive much individual sympathy, that has not resulted in any increase in drug or alcohol programs, education, and job-training to help women such as Mom "get off the streets."

No matter what conclusion police and investigators ultimately come to regarding the slaying of Mom as long as she and other black women are typed as deviant, violent and crime-prone, they will continue to be seen and treated by many in law enforcement as the new menace to society.