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WEST VALLEY CITY — West Valley City police face another wrongful death lawsuit, this one involving the shooting death of a man in his home.
Police shot and killed Brandon Eric Chief, 21, while investigating a report of an assault at 3676 W. Bawden Ave. Dec. 18, 2010.
Police said officers arrived to find Chief holding a knife. At least one officer fired his weapon, striking Chief multiple times in the chest. He was pronounced dead at a hospital.
The shooting was found to be legally justified.
However, lawyers for Chief's family allege in a lawsuit that a rookie police officer used excessive force when responding to what was a domestic dispute. The suit said the officer relied on his training that taught him not to let a suspect retrieve a gun.
The family said Chief was shot four times, once in the back.
This isn't the first wrongful death lawsuit involving West Valley City police.
The parents of Danielle Willard, 21, sued over her shooting death in February. That ordeal led to an investigation into the West Valley City Police Department's narcotics unit, which was later disbanded.
