New information about man accused of threatening church congregations in Utah

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — A man is behind bars Monday after making threats against Catholics and Latter-day Saints in Utah.

“He arrived at our parish just before 8 a.m., a good hour before our first church services,” said the Very Reverend John Evans, Vicar General of the Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City.

What started with an unexpected visitor at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Cottonwood Heights Sunday morning soon turned scary for parishioners attending mass.

“He was patient and he joined the musicians and those preparing, and then he attended the 9 a.m. mass,” Father Evans said.

After mass, as children were heading to Sunday school and others gathered for coffee and donuts, the man identified as 27-year-old Keith Barber called 911 and made a startling threat.

“He had gone outside of the church and reported himself to the police that he wanted to kill as many Catholics as possible, so I think he knew he wasn’t in the right frame of mind,” Father Evans said.

“He’s saying he feels persecuted by the Catholics, he wants to go to war. He said he had a knife,” Sgt. Gary Young of the Cottonwood Heights Police Department explained of the 911 call. “Dispatch asks him ‘Are you feeling violent?’ and he says ‘Yes but not to police only to the Catholics.’ That gets everyone’s attention so they ping his phone and it is there at the St. Thomas More church.”

According to Young, the church was swiftly placed on lockdown.

“All officers made haste to get to the Catholic Church,” Young said.

Barber fled but police in Sandy later made an important discovery. It appeared Barber discarded his phone but a passerby found it and turned it over to the Sandy City Police Department. Sandy Police called a number saved as “Mom” on the phone, and through the contact made the connection to Barber.

“After our officers talked with the family in California, the family said that he’s suffering some unknown crisis. He left California two days ago and he’s going to Utah to start a war with the Catholics and the Mormons and he’s willing to die,” Young said.

Police rushed to warn the public and track down the suspect.

A few hours later, around 4 p.m., authorities with the Lyman Police Department, Uintah County Wyoming Sheriff’s Office, and the Wyoming Highway Patrol arrested Barber in Lyman, Wyoming on suspicion of charges unrelated to the incident in Utah.

Police aren’t sure why Barber targeted Utah.

“Why’d he come to Cottonwood Heights?” Young said. “Maybe it’s well known that the Christians in Cottonwood Heights are known for their faith, I don’t know.”

But everyone is grateful for the safe outcome.

“I want to commend the Cottonwood Heights police chief and all of those involved. They did a wonderful job, they responded very rapidly and didn’t waste time,” Father Evans said.  “And I want to commend Keith himself for calling the police, and hopefully everybody can work together to get him the help that he needs now.”

According to Father Evans, the church has had lockdown drills in the past and they’re glad parishioners knew what to do.

Barber is being held in Wyoming. Cottonwood Heights Police are working to determine the applicable charges in Utah.