Man killed by officer gunfire after multi-county police pursuit
Jan 3, 2025, 5:51 AM | Updated: 5:12 pm
RIVERTON — A man is dead after a lengthy high-speed police chase Thursday evening that resulted in the man being shot by responding officers, according to the Salt Lake City Police Department.
The Salt Lake City Police Department later identified the man as 27-year-old Tanner Cottrell.
SLCPD said the man was a wanted suspect in a residential arson investigation that occurred on Wednesday. The fire occurred at 2665 E. 2100 South, police said. Public Information Officer Brent Weisberg said investigators learned the suspect had access to firearms and body armor during the arson investigation.
At approximately 11:30 p.m. Thursday, the man was located in Orem and law enforcement began tracking his location throughout Utah and Salt Lake counties.
“At some point, law enforcement initiated a pursuit of the suspect who was driving a truck,” SLCPD said. “The suspect refused to stop.”
A later press release from SLCPD said the truck was stolen.
Police chased the man driving and “entered and then traveled throughout Salt Lake County, including Salt Lake City.” As the chase continued, the man fired multiple rounds at officers who followed and in turn, the officers used spike strips to flatten the truck’s tires. But the man continued driving.
“Multiple law enforcement agencies continued to follow Cottrell through Salt Lake City, into North Salt Lake, and then back into Salt Lake City — where there were additional reports of shots being fired from Cottrell’s vehicle,” SLCPD’s press release said.
The pursuit ended at approximately 12:30 a.m. Friday at 12400 S. Redwood Road in Riverton when the man crashed the truck “at a high rate of speed.” The crash caused the truck to flip and land upside-down.
“There was at the termination point, an exchange of gunfire with officers and we believe with the suspect,” Weisberg said.
Cottrell was confirmed deceased at the scene. The SLCPD said there were no reported injuries to officers or community members.
Neighbors near the ending point of the pursuit said they caught some of the most intense moments.
“We see what looked like an F-150 flying down with like a load of cops,” said neighbor Armanni Gallardo. “And like, we’re right there. We’re like not even 50 feet from what’s going on, and we hear lots and lots of shooting going on.”
SLCPD said seven of its officers were involved in the incident causing the man’s death, but it was not known how many of them fired shots.
“We don’t have any information to suggest that any of the rounds the suspect fired hit any of the pursuing vehicles,” Weisberg said. “This was a very volatile, very dangerous situation. We are very fortunate that none of our officers were injured.”
A total of six agencies were involved in the incident: SLCPD, Taylorsville Police Department, Unified Police Department, Utah County Sheriff’s Office, Utah Highway Patrol and West Valley City Police Department.
“The exact number of involved officers from each agency is still being determined,” SLCPD said.
Weisberg said the department’s number one priority at this point was to collect evidence in the investigation so it can be taken to the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office for review.
“We know that there might be some impact to local businesses here, and we thank them for their patience,” Weisberg said. “… Typically when we have an officer-involved critical incident, those investigations can take anywhere from five to 10 hours, sometimes even longer. I would suspect given the number of officers who fired, there will be a lengthy investigation to collect the forensic evidence on scene.”
The department said the West Jordan Police Department will be leading the investigation.
This incident wasn’t the first time Cottrell displayed violent behavior behind the wheel. A probable cause statement from Dec. 11, 2024 said Cottrell tried to hit his roommate with a car after a disagreement. He missed and crashed into their house, causing thousands in damages.
This is a breaking news story. It may be updated.
Contributing: Karah Brackin and Jacob Freeman, KSL TV
