Police Identify Man Killed By Police During Tooele Hostage Situation
Oct 19, 2020, 7:19 PM | Updated: 7:28 pm
FILE: Tooele City Police. (KSL TV)
(KSL TV)
TOOELE, Utah – Officials with the Tooele City Police Department identified a suspect who was shot and killed by police during a hostage situation as 27-year-old Tutuila “Ben” Pine Koonwaiyou.
Lt. Jeremy Hansen said three Tooele police officers fired their weapons during the incident and they have been placed on administrative leave. The State Bureau of Investigations is handling the case.
Tooele police chief Ron Kirby said a family member called police Saturday night, saying Koonwaiyou was violating a protective order and was armed.
Hostage suspect killed by police during Tooele standoff.https://t.co/w98EMp1nNu
— KSL 5 TV (@KSL5TV) October 18, 2020
Officers arrived at a shopping center, where they said Koonwaiyou took a woman hostage, who was believed to be his girlfriend.
Hansen said a juvenile male was also taken hostage, but negotiators were able to convince Koonwaiyou to release him before the situation escalated.
After what Kirby described as a “very long, very tense” standoff with officers, the man attempted to brandish his gun around 3 a.m. Sunday. It was not clear if he pointed the firearm at officers or fired any shots.
Kirby said officers responded and fatally shot the man, “to protect the woman and themselves.”
The woman was hospitalized with serious injuries that were not considered life-threatening. It was not clear how she sustained those injuries.
