A woman was killed at Costco when the female employee tried to threaten the sheriff's deputies with a knife and scissors.

According to UPI reports, Mhai Scott, 38, the employee who was later shot and killed, was scaring shoppers and fellow workers with strange behavior at Costco while she was distributing samples inside the store.  

According to Costco's store manager, Renee Haber, Mhai Scott was acting strangely with a knife when her work shift was about to end. Mhai Scott's odd behavior frightened her supervisor, according to Haber. She was reportedly making "crazy" statements and wielding scissors and knives.

Customers inside the store were so frightened that they ran to hide behind cash registers and fled from the store in Loudon County.  

"Everyone was running out of the building not knowing what was going on," said a witness who was shopping at the Costco store. "I was a little scared so I got out of there pretty quick."

When the sheriff's deputies arrived at the scene, the woman started to wave a knife and scissors at the police officers to threaten them. When the deputies failed to stop the woman with a stun gun, an officer fired at Mhai Scott and killed the woman.

During the encounter between the woman and the deputies, an officer was injured in the leg after a bullet ricocheted.

The woman killed at Costco was responsible for preparing food for Club Demonstration Services and was reportedly handing out pizza samples before she was shot by the deputies.

The shooting happened at about 3 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, when Scott ignored warnings by the deputies and continued to advance on the officers with a knife.

Deputies claim that their choice to shoot and kill the woman at Costco was appropriate, but authorities will be reviewing footage from surveillance cameras.