Two Brothers Convicted Of Killing Officer Face New Legal Troubles

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Two brothers who were convicted in the killing of an officer in 2016 faced new legal troubles Monday after police connected them to two shooting incidents and a stolen car.

Christopher Boggs, 18, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on suspicion of theft by receiving stolen property and 17-year-old Lawrence Boggs was transported to the hospital with gunshot wounds early Monday morning.

Detectives said Christopher Boggs had been driving and his wounded brother was a passenger in a listed stolen Lexus that had been traveling over 100 mph on Redwood Road before it was stopped at around 3 a.m.

According to a jail probable cause statement, evidence suggested the car was connected to a report of shots fired close to the same time in the area of 900 South and 1400 West.

There, Salt Lake City police said officers found blood in the road along with a handgun and bullet.

“We believe those two incidents are related and our detectives are just investigating that and trying to put together all those leads to see how that happened — how they got from Glendale to West Valley and what sort of precipitated all of that,” said Sgt. Keith Horrocks with the Salt Lake City Police Department.

Horrocks said Lawrence Boggs was initially listed in critical condition but had since been upgraded to stable.

West Valley City police had been seeking the younger Boggs since early Saturday morning, when a party at the Extended Stay hotel at 2310 West and City Center Court turned into a shootout where another 17-year-old was wounded.

“It is reported that during Boggs’ visit, he encountered a group of people who were also staying in a room at the hotel and an argument occurred,” a statement from police said. “Mr. Boggs reportedly invited his own associates to also come to the hotel, after which, a fight with the rival group broke out that led to the gunfire incident.”

Police said they had sought to arrest Lawrence Boggs on suspicion of inciting a riot.

The Boggs brothers had been convicted in connection with the 2016 killing of Cody Brotherson, an officer with the West Valley City Police Department who was struck and killed by a stolen vehicle as it fled from police.

They were ultimately released early this spring after assaults in juvenile detention booted them to adult courts.

It brings up some of the real bad yuck feelings from when he was killed and it makes you miss him,” said Brotherson’s mother, Jenny Brotherson.

The mother said her family had been worried about the brothers being free.

“We were concerned that if they were allowed out they would resume their gang activities,” she said.

Brotherson said she hoped lawmakers would pay attention to the case and look to close any loopholes it presented.

“We need tougher laws when there’s gang involvement, violence and when there’s a death,” Brotherson said.