Family of man killed by sheriff calls for wrongful death suit


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KANOSH — Last week, a sheriff's deputy fired two shots that killed an unarmed man. Now, that man's family is demanding answers.

The incident occurred after a high speed chase on the Kanosh Indian Reservation and resulted in Corey Kanosh's body being found on the hillside. The Millard County Sheriff says there was some sort of altercation prompting them to shoot Kanosh twice, killing him.

The Kanosh family are calling it a homicide and they are looking for answers.

"It was what you would call a living nightmare," said one of Kanosh's family members. "It was so unreal."

At a press conference held Tuesday morning, members of the small reservation of about 50, came to show their support for the Kanosh family. Many wore shirts that read "Let Justice Be Done."

"This is a homicide," said the brother of the victim, Jerald Kanosh. "It's a big case."

The Kanosh family believes answers to Corey Kanosh's death lie in the rocky foothills above the reservation. Sheriff's Deputies say after a high speed chase - the driver stopped on the reservation and ran off. Kanosh, the passenger, ran off in a different direction. A deputy tasered Kanosh - then shot him twice after what the Millard County Sheriff calls an altercation.

"Yeah, it was person to person contact," said Millard County Sheriff Robert Dekker. That's all I have right now. The deputy was in fear for his life."

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The family believes that Kanosh wasn't tasered because there were no marks on his body. And, they say Kanosh didn't even have a chance to get out of the car and run.

"We have come to some conclusions that he might have been in the passenger seat when the shots were fired," Jerald Kanosh said.

But Sheriff Dekker believes that they were correct in their report and that it will be backed up by the medical examiner.

"I believe the evidence through the medical examiner will prove that that's not the case," Dekker said. "He did run and where his body was found was where he was shot where the incident occurred. He was not shot in the vehicle."

But the Kanosh family wonders - how did it even get that far? They say there's only one way into the reservation and one way out. The family say they are confused why the deputies chased the car through the reservation when all they had to do was sit and wait.

"[They] chased them down the road then they turned around and came back and they were cruising up this road pretty fast," said Greg Anderson, another of Kanosh's brothers.

But, Sheriff Dekker insists that Kanosh could have stopped at any time and that he continued the pursuit.

"One thing to always remember is that those people who are being pursued can stop at any time," Dekker said.

The case has been handed over to the Utah County Sheriff's office. In the meantime, the Kanosh family has hired an attorney and will soon file a wrongful death lawsuit.

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Lori Prichard

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