Taylorsville police shoot armed man Friday night

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — A man is in critical condition after being shot by Taylorsville police officers Friday night, Taylorsville police confirm.

A Taylorsville resident called the fire department and police Friday at about 11 p.m. because a man who was in the same home was suffering from multiple self-inflicted injuries, smashing personal property and was reported to be suicidal, Taylorsville police said in a statement.

The man shot was identified during a police press conference Saturday as Alex Boren, a friend of the Taylorsville homeowner who called 911. Lt. Aaron Cheshire with the Taylorsville Police Department said Boren did not live in the house.

Police arrived at the home in the area of 4400 South and 2200 West in Taylorsville and made contact with him inside. The man was armed with a large bowie-type knife and scissors and threatened the police, Taylorsville police say.

The police were told the man, 35, suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and may also be suffering from schizophrenia, according to Taylorsville police.

“During the confrontation, a number of less-lethal tools were used prior to the discharge of officers’ firearms,” Taylorsville police said in a statement. Cheshire said the less-lethal options used were a Taser and 40mm rounds of rubber bullets to try to stop him.

There were five officers on scene, including the two involved in the shooting, and police said the number of shots fired is unknown at this time.

The man was taken to a hospital in critical condition, Taylorsville police say.

“These things are very dynamic,” Chesire said. “A lot of times people in crisis are unpredictable and that’s why we have less lethal options and things like that that can hopefully help.”

Two officers are on administrative leave as of Saturday, Chesire said.

A Salt Lake County task force and the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office are conducting the investigation into the incident.