HEARNE, Texas — Friends say 93-year-old Pearlie Golden still shopped at the grocery store and greeted friends with a jubilant “Hey, baby!” Now they and the mayor of this small Texas town want the police officer who shot and killed her gone.

The fatal shooting of “Miss Sulie” — as residents say she was widely known — has raised tensions in Hearne and the Texas Rangers are investigating what led the officer to fire on Golden while responding to a 911 call at her house this week.

Hearne police have said in a statement that Golden “brandished a gun” when officer Stephen Stem arrived Tuesday night. Dozens of protesters, including some who came in from Houston, marched to police headquarters on Thursday and were met there by Mayor Ruben Gomez, who said he will recommend the officer be fired during Saturday’s City Council meeting.

“It’s a loss of confidence in the community. We can’t have an officer the citizens have lost confidence in,” Gomez said.