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SOUTH JORDAN -- Questions still surround the police shooting of a man armed with a gun at the Oquirrh Mountain LDS Temple on Christmas Day.
Investigators turn to man's apartment, history
Police have yet to provide any information about the man -- his name, age or where he is from -- and won't until they are able to contact his family. So far, getting hold of them is proving difficult.
Meanwhile, the investigation continues. Firefighters and hazmat crews spent hours going through the man's apartment Saturday night.
Neighbors were told the massive response was due to a strange liquid found inside the man's basement apartment. In the end, it turned out to be some type of cleaner.
Neighbors say the man was friendly and his landlord says he was an ideal tenant -- quiet and paid his rent on time.
But around 11 in the morning Christmas Day, at least two witnesses say he was behaving strangely and appeared to be talking to himself. Then, armed with a shotgun, he got into a fight with another man on the grounds of the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.
An hour-and-a-half later he was dead, shot once by a police officer after failing to drop his weapon when confronted by police.
Besides the shotgun he had been carrying, investigators found more guns, swords and ammunition in his car.
Incident one of many officer-involved shootings in 2010
This is not the only officer involved shooting the district attorney is reviewing. On Dec. 18, West Valley City police shot and killed a 36-year-old man while responding to an assault call.
In addition, KSL has covered 14 police-involved shootings this year.
Attorney Greg Skordas represents the Fraternal Order Police and defends officers involved in shootings. He is not involved in this particular case but says procedures are the same with all: The first step involves getting the officer to recall all details up to and during the shooting.
"We in the law have the ability to sit down a week later and go through the forensic evidence, go through the witnesses," Skordas said. "But an officer makes a decision in a second."
The investigation phase, involving multiple agencies, is critical to all sides involved -- including the public.
"I think for public safety and for the families of the people who are injured, that prepares them with some closure so they understand there was a serious investigation and here's what happened and here's what led up to that horrible tragic event," Skordas said.
The officers involved have been placed on routine paid administrative leave while the county district attorney's office investigates.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
