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Police say they tried for hours to end the standoff in Farmington Monday night by using non-lethal methods.
But Farmington's police chief said when officers fired tear gas and set off flash grenades to end the standoff, the suspect fired a shot, and an officer returned fire.
Farmington Police Chief Wayne Hansen said, "At the conclusion of that it was forced into a deadly force situation with an officer forced to use deadly force on the subject, resulting in his death."
But friends who knew the victim, Brian Wood, say police used excessive force. A neighbor said, "Yeah there was a sniper running with a big grin on his face, licking his freaking lips. So if you think that that is right of those people to have control over our lives, that's bull crap."
Monday night we were under the impression that Brian Wood shot and killed himself. But now it's a different story. It was an officer who fired the fatal shot, and many people in the neighborhood are furious.
It was a cloud of smoke, screaming officers and one gunshot that ended the 12-hour standoff.
Family friend Wade Lake said, "I'm sorry for Brian's family and friends. He was such a good man."
Thirty-six-year-old Brian Wood, a father and husband, died in front of his Farmington home. According to police, it all started with a domestic dispute Monday morning. When officers arrived, Wood took refuge in his truck with two handguns.
The SWAT team came to assist. Then Monday night officers attempted to resolve the situation using non-lethal methods, including flash-bang grenades, baton rounds and pepper ball rounds.
"That was not the intent. Every action we took was all less lethal, and I want to stress that with the intent, to safely resolve this," Hansen said.
The situation escalated, and police say Wood was armed and making verbal threats. Hansen says at that time it appeared that Wood fired a shot, and in response an officer returned fire. Wood was killed by that single shot from an officer.
Police say Wood fired two shots of his own throughout the course of the day, but police are not saying more about the final moments of his life or why he was upset to begin with.
Tuesday evening, a group of Wood's friends displayed signs in protest and frustration with the way police handled the situation.
One neighbor said, "The days of good old-fashioned common sense and giving him a hug is gone."
"It was a negotiation where he had no demands, he had no demands. Why are they attacking a man like a terrorist?" another asked.
The officer who fired the fatal shot is on paid administrative leave, and there is an investigation looking into whether police were justified in their actions.
Police also revealed they've been in a standoff with Wood before.
E-mail: wjohnson@ksl.com
E-mail: aadams@ksl.com
