WEST VALLEY CITY — The family of a man shot and killed by police last week were still searching for answers Tuesday as they attended to his burial.

On Thursday, West Valley police officers shot and killed Kent Ashworth, 49, after he showed a handgun on the street at 2805 S. 3600 West in front of the West Valley City Public Works Department building.

"We do not have any illusions about Kent being an angel who did nothing wrong," they write in an email. "We are not blind to his behavior on the day of the shooting, and we know that he had a gun, which would certainly be cause for him to be subdued and arrested. However, we are left with so many questions as to why things played out the way that they did, why the police opted to use lethal force instead of other means."

Ashworth's brother and sister-in-law are still frustrated they don't know exactly what led to the shooting. But they say they know where Kent Ashworth was, why he had a gun, and what he was doing before he encountered police.

"Kent had no outstanding warrants and was not a hardened criminal," they said.

According to police, three officers fired at Ashworth, killing him with multiple shots after he did not drop the gun as they ordered. Witness accounts vary on whether Ashworth fired a shot.

Ashworth's brother and sister-in-law said he had a liver condition, and was not out to die. He moved back to his father's home in West Valley City about a year ago to be in a supportive environment as he dealt with his health problems.

"The day of the shooting Kent had called his son and asked him to go target shooting with him," the family said. "His son was busy, and Kent took the handgun to go on his own. Kent then called his ex-wife (they remained on friendlier terms than most couples who have gone through a divorce) and asked her to go to the shooting range with him. She also had plans and turned him down.

"He returned to his father's house (where he was living, ensuring that he had caretakers around, and had people who loved him and supported him). He laid down and took a nap, and when he woke up, he left the house, without giving an explanation as to where he was headed, his father only seeing him pull out of the driveway."

They say the house is approximately five blocks away from the public works building where he was shot and that he had also left only about 10 minutes before the incident occurred.

Related:

Family says man killed in officer-involved shooting was ill but coping

The family of a 49-year-old man killed in an officer-involved shooting Thursday said the man had a liver condition, but wasn't looking to die.

"There was hardly time for something to escalate to the point that it did, and the police have not been forthcoming with any details," they said.

Investigators say they won't have new information on the shooting for a couple more days, and say that is not unusual for an officer-involved shooting. The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office is also conducting a parallel investigation.

The Ashworth family says it is eager to learn more.

"The family doesn't deny that there was a problem with Kent, and that he was in possession of a handgun (although we do not know if it was loaded)," they said. "We also understand that even though we don't know why he was confronted by the police, that there was likely a good reason for that to happen.

"We don't know why the incident was not recorded by the dashboard camera that should be in the cars that the police were driving, and if it had been recorded, why that video has been withheld. If Kent had taken a shot at the officers (and according to the one witness, that did not happen) why didn't the police indicate that they were fired upon and returned fire?

"The information provided by West Valley has been vague and incomplete, and has left the family with many questions."

Email:jboal@ksl.com

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