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SALT LAKE CITY — One of the officers who was trying to arrest a wanted felon in downtown Salt Lake City last month was hit by the suspect's car prior to police fatally shooting the man, according to a newly released search warrant.
New details about the shooting on Oct. 18 were revealed in a pair of search warrants unsealed in 3rd District Court.
Members of the Metro Gang Unit and the U.S. Marshal's Violent Fugitive Apprehension Team were looking for Andrey Tkachenko, 23, of Salt Lake City, in connection with several recent felony crimes.
The officers spotted the vehicle they believed Tkachenko was driving, as well a second vehicle following it. Police watched the two vehicles pull into an alley near 455 E. 300 South. It was there that a confrontation took place between officers and Tkachenko, according to police. The officers were outside their vehicles when something prompted two officers to shoot, Unified police previously stated.
A Unified police officer and an officer from the Saratoga Springs Police Department fired their weapons. Tkachenko died en route to the hospital. The Saratoga Springs officer who fired his gun was treated at a local hospital for a knee injury, though police would not say at the time how he received his injury.
But according to a search warrant affidavit, "one of the Metro Gang detectives had been struck by the Altima (that police were following) prior to the shooting. Your affiant observed the driver’s window on the Altima was shattered and there were numerous bullet holes on the vehicle and blood inside the vehicle. Your affiant also observed damage to the front of the vehicle and was informed the Altima struck a cement wall and a detective’s vehicle at the scene."
A gun was also observed by police on the ground next to the vehicle Tkachenko was in, the warrant states.
The two cars that police followed into the alley were both determined to be stolen, the warrant states. Another man, a woman and a juvenile girl were also at the scene.
"The four involved parties were at the location of the incident in order to perform a drug transaction where Tkachenko was supposed to sell illegal drugs," the warrant states.
Related story:
Once shunned, officers now encouraged to seek help after shooting
With an influx of officer-involved shootings across the Wasatch Front over the last two weeks, KSL wanted to know what police departments do for the mental well-being of an officer who has to pull the trigger.Inside the vehicle Tkachenko was in, police found meth, heroin, drug paraphernalia and a "large folding knife," according to a return for the warrant.
A resident who lives nearby said he heard five to 10 shots and then saw police pull Tkachenko out of a car and give him medical attention.
Court records show Tkachenko had a lengthy criminal history, including convictions for theft, burglary, drug possession, and in at least one case firing shots at a woman. He also had a history of fleeing from police, according to police records.
West Valley City is conducting the independent investigation into the shooting. The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office will then make a decision whether the officers were justified in using deadly force.
