Police: Man shot, killed by officers following hit-and-run investigation in Riverton
Jul 5, 2024, 5:51 AM | Updated: Jul 6, 2024, 5:08 pm
RIVERTON — One man is dead after police say he was shot and killed by officers after becoming “noncompliant” during a field sobriety test late Thursday night.
Josh Lee, Riverton city communications director, said police responded to reports of a hit-and-run crash between a side-by-side and another vehicle just before midnight near the city’s rodeo arena at 1300 West and 12800 South.
Thousands of people were in the area in Riverton for Town Days.
“There were still people getting off of this road over here across the street,” said Cody Garrard, who lives across the street from the rodeo grounds. He was saying goodnight to friends visiting when he said they called him asking if he was alright.
“They were actually getting into their cars and they heard three shots fired,” Garrard said.
Officers located the suspect in the side-by-side a short time later and conducted a field sobriety test, as they suspected alcohol was involved in the incident. During that test, Lee said that during that test, “the suspect became noncompliant and shots were fired” by officers.
Police did not say if the man had a weapon during the field sobriety test.
Medical crews provided immediate aid but the man was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured in the shooting.
“I counted 15 or 16 police cars. There was a firetruck and just a lot of police activity,” Garrard said.
On Saturday, Riverton police issued the following statement to KSL TV’s Karah Brackin, “During the field sobriety test, the suspect produced a knife and lunged at the officer. This prompted the officer to fire one shot from his weapon in defense. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene.”
The officers who were involved in the shooting have been placed on administrative leave, per the officer-involved critical incident protocol. The Salt Lake City Police Department and Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office will handle the investigation.
This is a breaking story. It may be updated.
