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SALT LAKE CITY — Police have determined the gunfire that killed one man and injured an officer Monday came from another officer’s gun.
The shooting happened about 1:30 p.m. at a Salt Lake apartment complex, 580 S. 500 West, according to Salt Lake Police Sgt. Brandon Shearer.
The two officers initially responded to a psychiatric check at the apartment, Shearer said. A third officer, who is a member of the Salt Lake Police Department’s Crisis Intervention Team, responded shortly after, he added.
He said the man presented a weapon and one of the two responding officers fired their weapon and shot both the man and the other officer.
Shearer didn’t elaborate on other details such as if the hit officer was shot directly by a bullet or bullet ricochet.
He also didn’t say if the victim fired a weapon or what weapon they had presented to officers.
Shearer noted officers often have to make split-second decisions and Monday’s incident was a “dynamic” situation.
Police had not released the identities of anyone involved in the shooting as of Monday evening.
UPDATE: Very dynamic situation that escalated quickly. We have determined the officer was hit by our own gun fire.
— SLC Police Dept. (@slcpd) July 16, 2019
This was a tragic situation, which could have been even worse. We are thankful our officer was patched up and sent home quickly.
As of 2:45 p.m., the scene was secure and the area was safe, Shearer said. Police did not have anyone in custody at that time, he said.
The ramp from eastbound I-80 to 600 South was temporarily closed while police were in the area. The ramp later reopened.
Crisis intervention team members are specifically trained to assist with calls where people might be experiencing a mental health crisis, Shearer said.
Footage from KSL TV's Chopper 5 showed both Salt Lake Police and Utah Highway Patrol vehicles were at the scene.
UHP Sgt. Nick Street said a trooper "rendered aid" to a person who was involved in the shooting. The trooper arrived after the shooting took place, Street said.
Unified police will be investigating the shooting, Shearer said. UPD investigators will interview witnesses at the scene to determine what happened, he said.
Contributing: Andrew Adams, KSL TV
