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PAROWAN — A southern Utah man was shot and killed by a police officer investigating a child abuse case after the man allegedly pointed a gun at the officer.
The incident happened about 9 p.m. Thursday after an officer from the Parowan Police Department was called to the 800 West block of 200 South after a witness reported seeing a man hit a child in the face, said Cedar City Police Sgt. Jimmy Roden.
The 50-year-old man had been drinking and was beating his son, who is between 9 and 12 years old, according to neighbors. Police have not confirmed the relationship between the boy and the man.
"The officer arrived on scene and encountered the adult male suspect in the driveway of the home. The suspect pointed a handgun at the officer while approaching him in an aggressive manner. The officer fired two shots at the suspect striking him both times," police said in a prepared statement.
The child was treated at the scene for minor injuries, Roden said. It was not immediately known whether the boy witnessed the shooting. He was with family members on Friday.
Shane Neyome, a neighbor of the man as well as a co-worker, said he was typically a nice person, until he started drinking.
"He didn't do it often, but when he did you knew it was happening," Neyome said.
He said the man would drink heavily while working on his car and start screaming and throwing tools around.
"He was a nice guy most of the time. But he'd come out … and he drank. Sometimes he got a little out of control with it. Sometimes he'd take it out on his son," Neyome said.
The names of the man killed and the officer were not immediately released by police. The shooting is being investigated by the Iron County Critical Incident Task Force.
Additional information will be posted as it becomes available.
Contributing: Stace Hall, Shara Park, Mary Richards
