Mom frustrated with SLC DA Office over lack of decision in son’s shooting
Mar 7, 2021, 10:38 PM | Updated: Aug 11, 2023, 12:45 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – It’s been six months since a 13-year-old boy was shot multiple times by a Salt Lake City police officer, but still, no ruling has been made on whether it was justified or not.
That has Linden Cameron’s mother very frustrated. She said her family can’t move on until a decision is made.
“Every day is just rough. It’s just hard. We cry a lot,” said Golda Barton. “It’s very hard to try to live a normal life without this being at the forefront of every day.”
On Sept. 4, Linden was shot by an officer 11 times as he was running away. It’s not clear in body cam videos what prompted the officer to shoot, but police were responding to a mental health episode and believed Linden could be violent.
Barton said Linden, now 14, has had multiple surgeries and lost function of his hand.
“The neuropathy in his arm and in his feet is terrible. The nerve pain is really bad. He spends a lot of time in bed,” said Barton.
Barton expressed frustration with the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, saying she wished they would rule on whether or not the shooting was justified.
However, a spokesperson said 2020 was one of the highest years on record in Salt Lake County for police shootings, and there were still two or three cases ahead of Linden’s.
In a statement, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office said:
“This is an ongoing investigation and we can’t comment on the specifics of the case. Our Office does a thorough review of each police shooting that occurs in Salt Lake County. Any time there is an injury or loss of life in our community it is a tragedy. Each of these incidents deserve a diligent investigation that brings the truth to light. We follow the evidence and then present the facts to the public. Our objective is to err on the side of accuracy and not rush through these important issues.”
“We hope that Sim Gill comes to a resolve soon because it makes it so we can’t move on,” said Barton.
She said she knows Gill has a lot on his plate, but she hopes her family won’t have to wait much longer.
“Living through it and feeling the emotions that have come with police shootings this last year for our family, I can’t ever imagine why they would not be held accountable,” said Barton. “I just pray for justice for all the cases.”
The D.A.’s office just made a ruling on another officer-involved shooting, regarding the death of Bryan Ulysses Pena-Valencia. The ruling came approximately a year after the shooting.
Barton asked for help with Linden’s medical bills and has set up a GoFundMe* page for those expenses.
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