Police fatally shoot Logan man during standoff


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LOGAN — A Logan man who fired at officers was shot and killed by police Wednesday night, officials said.

Officers were called to 346 N. 200 East just after 10 a.m. Wednesday on a report of a suicidal man, according to Logan Police Chief Gary Jensen.

"It was discovered the man had a firearm and was threatening suicide," Jensen said.

SWAT team members from Logan police and the Cache County Sheriff's Office surrounded the house and attempted for several hours to convince Roger Darrin Barker, 53, to surrender.

Around 8:30 p.m., Barker came to the door of his home, pointed a handgun in the "general vicinity" of SWAT officers and fired a shot, hitting a police vehicle, Jensen said.

An officer and a sheriff's deputy returned fire, striking Barker. He was taken Logan Regional Hospital and later died from his injuries.

Barker spoke with police by phone during the standoff, Jensen said, but "those talks broke down."

Police were contacted by Barker's wife on July 26 when he also threatened suicide, Jensen said. Barker had a gun with him during that incident, and officers also knew he was armed Wednesday, Jensen said.

"Obviously the end result of (the July 26 incident) was we were able to help Mr. Barker toward getting some help," Jensen said, adding it woud be speculative to comment on why the second incident ended much differently.

According to court records, a family member had filed for a temporary protective order against Barker earlier that day in 1st District Court.

"It was shortly after that that the incident started," said Cache County Sheriff's Lt. Chad Jensen.

It's possible the order affected Barker's actions Wednesday, Lt. Jensen said.

Barker made threats to kill himself only and not family members, according to Chief Jensen.

Both officers who fired their weapons were placed on paid administrative leave pending an investigation by the Utah State University Police Department. The third-party agency is examining the shooting to ensure "a fair and honest and a productive investigation," Lt. Jensen said.

Personnel on scene were ready to treat Barker in the event of an officer-involved shooting, Chief Jensen said.

"We had emergency medical services, paramedics standing by just down the block. They were immediately summoned in to see to (Barker's) medical needs," he said.

Lt. Jensen called the shooting a difficult experience for the SWAT members on scene.

"This is hard for all the law enforcement, especially those who are directly involved with this incident," he said. "This is a painful thing for anybody in law enforcement to take somebody's life."

Contributing: Mike Anderson

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