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DRAPER — One man was shot and killed Wednesday after a police officer on his way to work stopped to offer assistance to a driver and ended up fighting the man after he allegedly pulled out a knife.
The incident was the third fatal officer-involved shooting in Salt Lake County in less than a week. It also marked the second time in a little more than a year that the same officer shot a man who had threatened him with a knife.
About 8:40 a.m., officer Jason Vincent, a 12-year veteran with the West Valley Police Department, was leaving his house near 11600 South and 120 East in Draper's Cranberry Hill subdivision when he noticed a dark 4-Runner parked along the street and a man slumped over the wheel, said Deputy Draper Police Chief John Eining.
Vincent called for two Draper police officers to back him up before he went to investigate. A West Valley police sergeant who had just gotten off duty and was in the area also responded. After talking to the driver, the four officers attempted to arrest him for a narcotics violation, Eining said.
"As they're attempting to make the arrest, the suspect breaks free, runs back towards his vehicle and gets in his vehicle. There's a struggle to get the suspect out of the vehicle. During the struggle, a knife is produced. When a knife is produced, the West Valley officer shot the suspect," he said.
The driver was killed. Wednesday evening, police identified him as Jeffery R. Nielson, 34.
Vincent suffered a cut on his left hand, though investigators said it was unclear Wednesday whether it was due to being slashed by the suspect. Eining said the weapon was a "kitchen knife of some sort, a fairly good-sized knife."
Vincent was the only one who fired his weapon. One of the Draper officers was wearing a body camera at the time and it was working, Eining said, and investigators planned to review the video.
One neighbor who had been walking her dog in the area that morning later told police that she had also seen the vehicle parked in the same spot about an hour before the shooting and thought it was suspicious.
West Valley Police Chief Lee Russo called Vincent, who works in the K-9 unit, "an exceptional officer."
"We feel confident in what our officers faced and the actions that they have taken," he said. "The officer is absolutely very competent. I have every confidence in this officer."
This was the second shooting Vincent has been involved with in a little over a year. A man also pulled a knife on him in that case and threatened to kill him.
On Dec. 15, 2013, Vincent confronted Oston Shiloh Fairbourn, 24, who was walking into traffic at the intersection of 3200 West and 3500 South. When Vincent got out of his car to talk to the man, Fairbourn immediately pulled out a knife with a 7-inch blade and told the officer he was going to die.
Vincent pulled out his gun and ordered Fairbourn more than once to drop the knife. Many witnesses told investigators that Fairbourn was only a few feet away from the officer when he pulled the knife on him.
Fairbourn survived the shooting. A jury later convicted him of attempted aggravated murder and he was sent to prison for five years to life. The shooting was ruled to be legally justified. Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill noted that Vincent could have legally fired much earlier than he did, but showed great restraint.
We are accountable to our public. We want to be transparent.
–West Valley Police Chief Lee Russo
The chief wasn't surprised that Vincent took action Wednesday when he saw something suspicious in his neighborhood even though he wasn't officially on duty.
"He sees something and he investigates it — for the welfare of the individual that he's seeing and for the welfare of his community," he said.
Some residents who live near Vincent said Wednesday that he is a good neighbor and they are grateful for his service.
"I'm glad that we have a police officer that lives in our neighborhood," said Chantal Lapicola. "Their whole family is really nice. He walks his dog by skateboarding around the neighborhood. … He's a really great guy."
"It's nice that we have a police officer in our neighborhood who kind of keeps an eye on things and knows what to look for. That made me feel safe. I'm grateful for his service," added Tamara Stokes. "I hope that he can get through this and not be too shook up."
"He's rattled, as anybody would be when confronted with a situation like this," Russo said after speaking with Vincent. "This is not what a police officer coming to work, or going to work, wants to encounter on any day. He's upset with what happened."
Russo promised that information regarding the shooting will be released to the public as quickly as the investigation allows.
"We are accountable to our public. We want to be transparent," he said.
Eining added that it was important for the public to realize "how fast and how dynamic and how fluid these situations are." He said all four officers were very close to the man when he pulled out a knife.
"Deadly force by a suspect was met by deadly force from the officer," he said.
Russo also noted that while Vincent was not wearing a body camera Wednesday, his department recently purchased such devices for all of its officers and hopes to have them in use next month.
"I think they bring a lot of clarity to situations like this. I do believe it brings a high level of accountability for our officers. It demonstrates what the officers were faced with," he said.
Wednesday's killing marked the third fatal officer-involved shooting in Utah in less than a week.
• On Thursday, Jan. 8, Thomas Hamby, 49, was shot after Syracuse police responded to a domestic dispute at 2964 W. 2125 South. When officers arrived, Hamby walked outside and shot at officers who returned fire, according to investigators. Hamby died three days later. One Syracuse police officer and two Davis County sheriff's deputies were placed on paid administrative leave.
• Just hours before that incident, a Salt Lake police officer shot and killed James Dudley Barker, 42, in an Avenues neighborhood. The officer was called by neighbors to investigate a suspicious man who was reportedly going door-to-door offering to shovel snow from walkways. Video from the officer's body camera shows Barker's demeanor changing from calm to extremely angry without warning. He then attacked the officer with his shovel before he was shot. The officer suffered a fractured arm and foot.
