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WEST VALLEY CITY — Police on Monday identified a 20-year-old man who was shot and killed by an officer after breaking into two homes Sunday afternoon.
Elijah James Smith was pronounced dead at the scene, West Valley police spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku said.
A chain of events began when police responded to a report of a cellphone theft at a business located at 3411 S. Redwood Road about 3:15 p.m. Sunday, Vainuku said.
Shortly after, a West Valley police officer spotted a man matching the description of the man outside a convenience store located at 1940 W. 3500 South.
The man fled on foot, and police said he entered the garage of a nearby home before fleeing to a second home, 3551 S. Jenelles Bay, where a 13-, 10- and 9-year-old were inside at the time.
Three officers entered the home and located Smith there. One of the officers then shot Smith at some point after some sort encounter, Vainuku said. She did not say what that encounter was or if Smith was armed at the time.
The officer who fired the shot was not identified, but has been with West Valley police for less than two years, Vainuku said.
She added all three officers had body camera activated at the time of the shooting. That video was turned over to the Officer Involved Critical Incident Team at the Unified Police Department, which is investigating the shooting.
This story will be updated as soon as more information is made available.
