Prosecutor: West Jordan Officer Justified in Fatal Shooting
Apr 25, 2019, 7:19 PM
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — A West Jordan police officer was legally justified in using deadly force when he encountered a domestic violence suspect making stabbing motions with a large kitchen knife, according to Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill.
“Based on the totality of the evidence and all of the information that we have, under Utah law, this was a justified use of force,” Gill said during a press conference on Thursday.
The officer-involved shooting occurred on Oct. 11, 2018, at an apartment located at 7003 South Cherry Leaf Drive in West Jordan. Three officers had responded to a domestic violence call involving Diamonte Riviore, 22, who was released from jail just two days earlier.
REPORT: Diamonte Riviore, who had a large kitchen knife, was hit “while he was behind the closed door.” But that body camera footage shows the officer “made the decision to use deadly force before Mr. Riviore closed the door.” @KSL5TV @KSLcom #ksltv pic.twitter.com/X24SKb34iT
— Ladd Egan (@laddegan) April 25, 2019
“This is a situation where the officers knew going into the home that they’d been called to respond to a very serious attack involving a very serious threat against a woman and her 11-month-old child,” said West Jordan Police Chief Ken Wallentine.
Once inside the apartment, officers found Riviore in the bathroom, with the door cracked open, holding a knife.
According the final report, body-camera footage “clearly shows Mr. Riviore standing in the bathroom, partially opening and then closing the bathroom door several times, while holding a knife and making motions toward the officers.”
The officers can be heard repeatedly telling Riviore to drop the knife and show his hands. The report then says Riviore made more motions with the knife, prompting two officers to deploy their Tasers—which were not successful at stopping Riviore.
HAPPENING NOW: Salt Lake Co. District Attorney Sim Gill announces that West Jordan Police officer was JUSTIFIED in using deadly force in shooting death of Diamonte Riviore on Oct. 11, 2018 @KSLcom @KSL5TV #ksltv pic.twitter.com/SXoZKA0xOC
— Ladd Egan (@laddegan) April 25, 2019
“Then Mr. Riviore opened the door one final time, wider than before so that most of his body could be seen and he seemed to advance slightly toward the officers,” the report reads.
Officer Brian White then fired his weapon at Riviore, who then shut a locked the bathroom door. Officers broke down the door but were unable to revive Riviore, the report said.
“Although forensic evidence shows Officer White shot through the bathroom door,” Gill wrote in the report, “it appears from the body-worn camera recording that Officer White made the decision to use deadly force before Mr. Riviore closed the door.”
“This is certainly not a happy situation; this is not a happy outcome,” Chief Wallentine said. “As we address the problem of domestic violence in our community and all of the associated consequences we recognize that sometimes there are very tragic outcomes and this is one of them.”
