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WEST JORDAN — A suspected bank robber died Wednesday after being shot in a confrontation with West Jordan police following a chase through a residential neighborhood.
The incident began about 1:45 p.m. when a male armed with a gun entered Mountain America Credit Union, 6761 S. Redwood Road, said West Jordan Police Sgt. Dan Roberts.
After leaving with an undisclosed amount of cash, officers looking for the alleged robber found his pickup truck in a nearby neighborhood, Roberts said. A five- to 10-minute car chase over "a very meandering path" ensued, he said.
The chase ended a few miles away near 8925 South and 1075 West. Moments later, the alleged bank robber was shot, Roberts said. He said the driver crashed the pickup truck into a fence, then went on foot "around the corner," where the shooting occurred.
The shooting victim was taken to a local hospital, where he later died from his injuries. Neither the male's name or age were immediately released. Roberts also couldn't confirm whether the alleged robber was an adult.
Police also had no information Wednesday about what prompted the shooting, how many officers were involved or whether the shooting victim used a weapon in the confrontation. Roberts also couldn't say whether the shooting victim used a weapon on himself.
All officers were in good condition following the ordeal.
"It's very, very difficult for the officers," Roberts said. "It's not something they look forward to. (A shooting is) something that is tragic for everybody involved."
A multiagency team is conducting an investigation into what happened, Roberts said.
Jeff Syphus said he witnessed the confrontation. He saw a police officer aiming his gun and heard at least three gunshots, he said.
"It was far enough away that I couldn't tell if the shots were coming from the police officer or the suspect or both," Syphus said. "But there were enough shots that it could have been return fire."
