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KEARNS -- Unified police are investigating a shooting involving two West Valley City officers and a man who stole a car.
The man led police on a short chase through a Kearns neighborhood Sunday night before the shooting occurred. It happened in Clara Vigil's backyard, and neighbors say there was some sort of scuffle before officers shot the man.
"I couldn't figure out what was going on. I thought maybe [someone] was trying to rob my house or get in," Vigil said.
She was watching TV inside her Kearns home when she heard something that startled her.
"I heard a shot or something, so I [got] up and went to the window; and then I just saw the two cops here shooting that way," she explained.
West Valley police officers had chased 42-year-old Travis Martin into her backyard.
"It was kind of scary to have that happen in the yard," Vigil said.
Earlier in the evening, officers spotted Martin driving a stolen car. They tried to pull him over, but he didn't stop.
Martin led police on a short chase, and then jumped out of the moving car, which crashed into a parked van. Martin took off running and ended up in Vigil's backyard.
"The guy was running this way, and my neighbors think cops knew he was coming because they had to be here. They were standing here, and the guy was here," Vigil said.
Vigil's neighbors say there was some sort of scuffle before the shooting. Unified police won't confirm that's what happened.
The agency says the two West Valley police officers each fired their guns at least once at Martin. He was shot twice and is currently listed in critical condition.
Police say Martin did have a weapon but won't say what it was.
"We really don't know how the events transpired, or the order of events, but there definitely was a shooting incident, and there was an arrest in that backyard. We'll get to the bottom of that when we're able to speak with officers involved," said Lt. Don Hutson, spokesman for the Unified Police Department.
Unified police are handling the investigation into this shooting and will be working with the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office.
West Valley City is screening charges against Martin, who also had warrants out for his arrest at the time of the shooting.
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Story compiled with contributions from Anne Forester and Marc Giauque.
