One Man Killed In Officer-Involved Shooting In Carbon County

WELLINGTON, Utah – A man threatening suicide was killed and a police officer was placed on paid administrative leave after an officer-involved shooting in the Carbon County town, according to officials.

“This is an unfortunate situation for all involved,” said Wellington Police Chief Rory Bradley.

He said his department got a call about a man threatening to kill himself in the area of 900 East Railroad Ave. around 7 p.m. Tuesday in a wide-open area next to the railroad tracks. A reserve Wellington Police officer responded to the call and officials said the officer then got into some kind of altercation with 26-year-old Bobby Ray Duckworth, who was killed.

Carbon County Sheriff Jeff Wood said in a press conference Wednesday that officer-involved shootings are very rare in the county. He recalled one back in the 90s.

“It’s not common here,” Wood said. “You don’t see that very often.”

Bradley said he contacted the sheriff shortly after the shooting.

The officer involved in the incident is a reserve officer and he was put on paid administrative leave. The police chief is the only full-time police officer with the Wellington Police Department. Other officers are all reserve officers.

Bradley said the reserve officer involved in the shooting has been employed with Wellington PD for close to a year. Officials said he is also a full-time police officer in another unnamed department.

“This doesn’t affect the Wellington City Police Department,” Bradley said.

His department will rely on help from other reserve officers and neighboring departments to cover Wellington while the officer is on leave.

Bradley said he initiated the critical incident protocol team last night.

The Carbon County Sheriff’s Office is leading that multi-agency team. The Price City Police Department, Emery County Sheriff’s Office and Carbon County Attorney’s Office will also assist in the investigation.

There is body camera footage of the incident, and the Wood said it will be released in the next day or so.

“It’s pretty clear what happened,” he said.

Police officers were still on scene Wednesday morning collecting evidence, but they wouldn’t go into any other details about what happened.

“It’s an extensive scene,” Wood said. “There’s still quite a bit to do out there.”

Police said Duckworth was living in Carbon County, but KSL did not find an address for him in the county.

KSL discovered drug possession and drug dealing convictions for Duckworth dating back to 2014 in Sevier County, and a subsequent charge of assault and damaging a cell while he was in prison.

“We are aware of a criminal history,” Bradley said.

Last year, he was charged with theft in Washington County.