911 calls document moments surrounding American Fork shootings


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AMERICAN FORK — Newly-released 911 calls revealed a new perspective Tuesday of a chain of events that left a woman and her ex-boyfriend dead in two separate shootings in American Fork.

The calls document the moments immediately following the first shooting near a Walmart in American Fork that resulted in the death of 39-year-old SueAnn Sands.

“He started speeding up towards her and hitting the back of her car,” one woman told a dispatcher of the suspected shooter. “And then he ran into the side of her, and we started hearing shots.”

Callers could also be heard giving their descriptions of the fleeing suspect vehicle as it departed the scene.

Soon after the first shooting, the alleged suspect was dead outside a nearby movie theater, following a short confrontation with police in which investigators said the officers opened fire.

The man was subsequently identified as 33-year-old James Dean Smith, Sands’ ex-boyfriend.

It remained unclear Tuesday whether shots fired by the officers resulted in Smith’s death, or whether he potentially died of a self-inflicted gunshot.

Sands’ family members said Monday that Smith had stalked and harassed Sands, and they had been doing what they could to “keep her safe” prior to the shooting.

Smith’s family members declined comment when reached Tuesday evening.

Detectives said Sands herself had called 911 just before 7:30 p.m. Sunday, screaming that someone was shooting at her car.

Investigators declined to release the audio of that call Tuesday, citing concerns related to the investigation and the woman’s privacy.

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