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A West Valley man was shot to death by police as he held a knife to his wife's throat and threatened to kill her.
Investigators say the couple has a history of domestic violence, including a case just last week. Today things reached the breaking point when the man reportedly threw his wife on the ground and choked her before threatening to kill her.
West Valley police are crediting several neighbors for helping save the woman's life. They heard her yelling for help and tried to get her away from her husband before police arrived. Investigators say that bought them some critical seconds.
Neighbor Jerry Gardner said, "It's a little freaky since I'm raising a family in the neighborhood."
Just feet away from a Saturday afternoon birthday party was the body of the man shot dead by police after threatening to kill his wife. It happened at 3300 South and 1800 West.
"The eight years I've lived here, there really hasn't been this kind of violence," Gardner said.
Another neighbor, Michelle Sasser, said, "It was a little nerve-wracking."
Police were called to the scene by the daughter of the woman who was threatened. The daughter told the 911 dispatcher her mom was being beaten.
Capt. Tom McLachlan of the West Valley City Police Department explained, "He had her on the floor, over the top of her, choking her, and as it's been relayed to me, the daughter said the wife was gasping for breath."
When investigators arrived, the couple was down the block. The suspect was holding a knife to his wife's throat.
"He was counting down 10, nine, eight," McLachlan said.
Officers backed off; the man momentarily calmed down but then resumed counting. One officer fired shots, killing the man.
"The officer had to take that action to protect her life," McLachlan said.
Investigators say there's a history of domestic violence, including a case last week in which the husband chased his wife in a mall parking lot.
"He was pursuing his wife in her vehicle. He was in a truck ramming her vehicle," McLachlan said.
Police aren't releasing the man's name yet. They're still trying to contact an out-of-state relative. Officers said the woman is doing OK. She was not cut with the knife.
The officer who fired the shots has been placed on administrative leave. That's standard procedure in a case like this.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
