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KEARNS — A Layton man shot in the shoulder by a Unified police officer Wednesday was expected to be released from the hospital, possibly as soon as Friday night, according to Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder.
At that point, Damian Scott Huth, 20, might be booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. Huth's wife, Kelli Rachelle Huth, 18, remained in jail Friday for investigation of escaping from custody, harboring an escapee and interfering with an arresting officer.
On Wednesday, two police officers pulled over a Honda CR-V, believing that Damian Huth, who was wanted on a warrant for aggravated assault, was inside. That warrant was originally believed to be a felony. On Friday, Winder said the warrant was actually for a class A misdemeanor.
Huth was charged in 2014 with two counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony. He later pleaded guilty to reduced class A misdemeanor charges, according to court records. On Sept. 6, a no bail warrant was issued for his arrest for failing to comply with the conditions of his probation.
On Wednesday, when officers pulled his car over and discovered Huth was inside, they attempted to arrest him. But Kelli Huth "wrapped her arms" around one of the officers to pull him off of her husband, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report. That officer was then involved in a "violent struggle" with Damian Huth while attempting to take him into custody.
Because of Kelli Huth's interference, Damian Huth was able to run, the report states.
Unified police detective Cordell Whitmore, an eight-year veteran with the department who previously worked for the Davis County Sheriff's Office, ran after him.
Both men scaled a fence with barbed wire on top. Whitmore became entangled in the barbed wire and suffered injuries to his hands and stomach, Winder said.
Also at some point during that chase, Whitmore fired a single shot, hitting Huth once in the shoulder, he said. Whether he fired his shot before or after scaling the fence was not known Friday. But Winder indicated that evidence, possibly a shell casing, was recently discovered to help investigators get a better idea of where the shot was fired.
Related:
Officer shoots, injures man during Kearns foot chase
A Unified police officer shot a wanted man Wednesday during a foot chase, seriously injuring him, though no weapon was recovered at the scene and no details were released about what prompted the shooting.Regardless, he said Huth still had enough momentum after he was shot to continue running for a distance before collapsing.
Detectives did not recover any weapon from Damian Huth. The circumstances of what prompted Whitmore to shoot were not immediately known Friday. Winder said neither he nor Huth had yet been interviewed by investigators. They were waiting to interview Whitmore to determine whether he saw any weapon.
The Salt Lake City Police Department is conducting the investigation into the shooting.
Whitmore was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Huth's original arrest in 2014 happened when he allegedly got into a fight with his sister while driving in a car with his family. He began choking her with two hands, charging documents state. Huth's father, who was driving, jumped into the back seat to protect his daughter and ended up exchanging punches with Damian Huth, according to police.
"They both attempted to put each other into headlocks," the charges state.
As the fight moved outside the car, Huth picked up a scooter and swung it at his father and then "latched onto (his father's) rib area with his teeth," according to the charges.
Court documents filed on Aug. 2 said Damian Hutch admitted to a probation officer "using heroin he obtained at the Road Home" and that he was "fearful his drug use was starting to get out of control."
The officer noted in the report that Huth had struggled while on probation and that he lacked motivation, was not accountable for his actions and did not follow through with instructions given to him by probation officers. The officer recommended that Huth's probation be revoked.
Huth was also convicted of shoplifting in 2015. He was charged Aug. 23 with misdemeanor drug possession. A warrant for that case was issued on Sept. 26 for failing to show up for court.
