Parents Of Man Shot, Killed By Bystander At Peace With Decision To Not File Charges

OREM, Utah – A man who shot and killed a neighbor who was attacking a woman in front of a Provo apartment complex in June will not face charges and the parents of the man who died said they are at peace with the decision.

Jeremy Sorensen, 26, was the man who brutally attacked the woman six months ago, “stomping on her head” and “trying to get into her purse,” according to witnesses.

His neighbor, 22-year-old Adam Taylor, drove up, saw what was going on, and within minutes, Sorensen was shot dead.

The Utah County Attorney decided not to file criminal charges against the gunman on Monday and KSL TV spoke exclusively with the parents of the man who died that night.

When Sorensen’s parents were first contacted in June, they said they were stunned by the violent outburst.

“People would describe him as a true friend,” said his mother Kathleen Sorensen.

That was the Jeremy Sorensen his parents knew. He was a kind, caring boy they adopted along with his half-brother at age three. The Sorensens adopted five African American children after having four children of their own.

“When he came to us as a little boy, we knew that he had health problems,” Kathleen Sorensen said.

She said a brain injury led to developmental and impulse control issues. He had trouble controlling his emotions at times and even spent time at the Utah State Hospital getting treatment for mental health issues.

“Because of his condition, he had an inability to express his emotions,” said Paul Sorensen, Jeremy’s father. “So, at times, he could seem indifferent, even angry.”

But last spring, his life seemed to be going well.

“He looked like he was doing pretty well,” she said. “He was carrying a job.”

His parents said Jeremy badly wanted his first girlfriend and mistakenly acted like he was in a relationship with the woman he attacked.

On June 3, they said their son’s emotions in that relationship boiled over.

“It reached a point where he broke and he ended up attacking her,” Paul Sorensen said.

His neighbor, Adam Taylor, was driving home and saw the attack, jumped out of his car and pulled out his concealed carry gun. According to court papers, Taylor shouted at Sorensen to stop attacking the woman or he would shoot.

“It was like in seconds that everything was coming together,” Paul Sorensen said.

As the woman escaped, Jeremy Sorensen started to move towards Taylor, who shot and killed him.

“It was just one of those things that almost couldn’t have been avoided,” Paul Sorensen said.

“It just broke our hearts,” Kathleen Sorensen said.

They said they miss their son but were pleased with how everything was handled.

The Utah County Attorney met with them twice at their home to talk about the case, the law and potential outcomes.

“He wanted to be sure that he handled it well knowing all of the issues involved,” Paul Sorensen said.

Monday, the prosecutor said he would not file charges against Taylor and Sorensen’s parents were fine with that outcome.

“We feel great compassion for him,” Kathleen Sorensen said.

Even as they struggle through their first Christmas without their son and feel the pain of the loss each day, they believe the investigation was fair and compassionate.

“It will never go away, but, we’re really at peace about Jeremy,” Paul Sorensen said.