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CENTERVILLE — A Utah Highway Patrol trooper who shot and killed a man on the Legacy Parkway nearly a year ago will not be prosecuted.
Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings stated Friday in a letter announcing his decision that the prolonged investigation "has not been an easy task" for his team. But ultimately, UHP Sgt. Chamberlin Neff's use of deadly force was "based on the criminal conduct of an individual who put life and property at risk over a significant period of time by a prolonged chase, parts of which were within residential city limits."
On July 4, 2017, Cody Ray McCray, 32, of West Bountiful, was shot and killed after leading police from several agencies on multiple chases. One chase was near a crowded parade route in Centerville before heading onto the Legacy Highway. At one point, McCray drove the wrong way into oncoming traffic and used his car "as a weapon to escape from officers," according to Centerville police who conducted the investigation that was presented to Rawlings.
McCray had wanted to commit a "suicide by cop," police said a year ago, and had driven through the area several times, prompting several chases starting in the very early morning hours. Because officers were concerned about the growing parade crowds, they set up roadblocks and twice attempted PIT maneuvers to stop him.
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As the investigation into a fatal officer-involved shooting on Legacy Parkway continued Wednesday, family and friends remembered Cody Ray McCray as a good man who was having a hard time shaking his demons.In making his determination, Rawlings said body-cam and dashcam video from several agencies was closely examined. One of the key questions was whether McCray's car was already stopped when Neff fired four shots.
"While some video angles, particularly compressed video that only shows some of the actual frames, make it appear the suspect's vehicle may not have been mobile, raw video from multiple other agencies clearly shows the reportedly stolen vehicle actually did in fact aggressively move backward at one point and quickly forward (multiple feet) at the time deadly force was deployed," Rawlings wrote in his letter.
Rawlings said his office has met with McCray's family multiple times and thanked them for helping them review "key pieces of evidence" during a difficult time for them. He also thanked the law enforcement agencies involved for their patience during the investigation.
Correction: An earlier version incorrectly identified UHP trooper Chamberlin Neff as Cameron Neff.
