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SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns over the weekend mourned the death of Provo police officer Joseph Shinners, who died after he was shot while trying to arrest a man Saturday night.
Shinners is the fifth Provo officer who has died while in the line of duty and third by homicide, according to the Utah Law Enforcement Memorial.
The day of his death also has a tragic history.
Shinners is stunningly the third Utah law enforcement officer to have been shot and killed on a Jan. 5 since 2010. He’s also the sixth Utah law enforcement officer who has died while in the line of duty on that date in state history.
Here are all six stories, according to the Utah Law Enforcement Memorial:
Stroud, who was 34, was heading to a children’s party sponsored by the police department when his gun fell from his waistband while entering a car. The pistol landed on the sidewalk and discharged. A bullet struck Stroud in the chest and he died instantly when it went through his heart.
The memorial states Stroud was married and had two sons.
August Larsen, Moab Police Department (1961) ============================================
An officer working the night shift found Larsen, 21, dead on the floor of the Moab police station with multiple gunshot wounds. His killer was later found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It was determined the shooter had resentment against local police, which was believed to be the motive.
Larsen left behind a wife and a child.
Merrill, who was 39 at the time of his death, died after he slipped on an icy road near Smithfield and hit his head on his vehicle when he had stopped to talk with a friend. He died minutes after the fall. Merrill was married and a father of four children.
Fox was conducting a traffic stop near Delta when she was shot twice and killed. Prosecutors alleged the man who shot and killed her had done it to avoid a drug arrest. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2017.
Fox, who was 37, was married and had two children.
Jared Francom, Ogden Police Department (2012) =============================================
Six officers executing a warrant of a home were shot by a man whose home they were raiding in Ogden. Three officers were critically injured and Francom, 30, died from gunshot wounds. The man accused of firing the shots killed himself in 2013.
Francom left behind a wife and two children.
Joseph Shinners, Provo Police Department (2019) ===============================================
Multiple officers were attempting to arrest a 40-year-old man on a warrant when Shinners, 29, was shot. He died from injuries at a hospital about two hours later. Provo Police Chief Rich Ferguson posthumously promoted Shinners to master officer on Sunday.
Shinners left behind a wife and a young child.
