Wife and children flee from home before Orem police standoff

OREM, Utah — A man assaulted his wife, and went to get his gun when she and her children fled the home before a standoff with police Wednesday. Information from a probable cause statement explained more about the shootout between police and a man who barricaded himself in his home.

Police: Suspect shot, hospitalized after exchanging gunfire with Orem officers

The man was identified as 31-year-old Zackrey (Zack) Newman.

According to a probable cause statement, officers learned that sometime around 9 p.m. Newman and his wife began drinking and a short time after that, the two began to argue over “relationship issues.”

Newman’s wife asked to leave, but Newman continued to argue. According to court documents, eventually, the woman “retreated to the master bedroom with the two children. She locked the door but he [Newman] was able to enter by damaging the door.”

He approached his wife and kids and said, “You’re done! You’re done, you’re all done!”

As Newman approached the bed, his wife placed herself in front of the children who were on the bed. Newman began swinging both his fists and struck his wife multiple times as she shielded herself and her children with her feet and legs.

Newman left to the main living area, where a gun was known to be.

His wife heard a gun go off and “was in fear for her and her children’s lives.” She and the children escaped the bedroom by climbing out of the window and running to a neighbor’s house for help.

Officers arrived at the home and eventually made contact with Newman.

While he was at the front door, multiple officers gave commands to “drop the gun.” However, Newman began to exit the home with the gun in his hand, refusing to drop the weapon.

At that point, shots were fired at Newman, who retreated back into the residence and another gunshot was heard from inside the house by officers.

Later on, Newman returned to the front door and said, “if he came outside there would be a gunfight in the street and either he, or an officer would die.” For a second time, Newman opened the door and fired shots before returning inside.

An officer felt what he believed was a shot grazing the sleeve of his shirt.

Officers continued to talk to Newman through an open window and Newman continued to say to officers, “let’s have a gunfight in the street.”

SWAT responded to the scene and three members of the team approached the residence as Newman shot at them before he was finally apprehended.

Newman may face possible charges of aggravated assault, two counts of child abuse injury, one count of criminal mischief, two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, two counts of felony discharge of a firearm, one count of intoxication, and three counts of attempted murder.