Danielle Willard's mother calls for police officer terminations, criminal charges


4 photos
Save Story

Show 1 more video

Leer en español

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

WEST VALLEY CITY — In November 2012, West Valley City police officers shot and killed a young woman in a case that led to a firestorm of controversy involving the agency.

One year later, Danielle Willard's mother hosted a rally at West Valley City Hall to push for harsher punishment of police officers found guilty of misconduct.

"I'm mad. I'm incredibly mad that this is taking this long to get this taken care of," Melissa Kennedy said.

Kennedy, who lives in Washington state, has been very outspoken since the death of her daughter.

Willard, 21, was gunned down Nov. 2, 2012, by former West Valley City police officer Shaun Cowley, who said Willard tried to hit him and a fellow officer with her vehicle when they approached her to question her about a drug transaction she was allegedly involved in.

But an investigation by the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office eventually found the shooting was not justified. That conclusion led to a much broader investigation and the disbanding of West Valley's Neighborhood Narcotics Unit.

At Saturday's rally, supporters joined Kennedy as she demanded criminal charges against the officers accused of shooting Willard. West Valley City police detective Kevin Salmon remains suspended; former detective Shaun Cowley was fired for unrelated matters of misconduct and is fighting his termination.

Kennedy also called for the new police chief to fire the six officers who were in the same unit with Salmon and Cowley. She wants them to face criminal charges too.

"I call them thieves with a badge and a gun," she said. "That's what they are."

In an email, West Valley Police Chief Lee Russo said he couldn't comment on Kennedy's statements because he was unaware of the specifics. But he did say that "this has been a tragic and traumatic situation for everyone - the officers involved, the entire Police Department, the community, and most especially for the Willard family."

Willard's death led to a firestorm of controversy involving West Valley police. It also drew attention to the issue of police violence.

"I feel that what the police officers here are doing is wrong. I believe that they shouldn't be so quick to use a gun," said Lori Archuleta, a protestor who joined in the rally. "I know what the family's going through when it comes to this."

Archuleta's son was shot by police in another city in 2010 and survived. She supports Kennedy, who said she'll keep fighting for justice.

"No matter how much work I put into this, she's not coming back," Kennedy said.

Chief Russo said Salmon remains suspended as he awaits a decision on charges related to Willard's shooting.

As far as criminal charges go, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said decision regarding both Cowley and Salmon could come in a month or so.

Contributing: Jordan Ormond

Photos

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Sandra Yi

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast