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SALT LAKE CITY — Law enforcement officers shot and killed a parole fugitive they were trying to arrest in downtown Salt Lake City early Friday, officials said. A Herriman K-9 officer was also shot and killed.
The U.S. Marshals Violent Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team was searching for a fugitive just before midnight and used surveillance to locate him inside a Salt Lake City apartment, according to Brandon Holt, chief deputy of the U.S. Marshals Service for the District of Utah.
The fugitive, later identified by the U.S. Marshals Service as Brian Francis Filion, 41, was a suspect in a Feb. 8 homicide in North Ogden, according to a U.S. Department of Justice news release. North Ogden police and Adult Probation and Parole (AP&P) requested assistance from the Marshals Service to track down Filion.
Strike team members tried to arrest Filion when he came out of the apartment, but Fillion fled, Holt said. Officers pursued him to the area of 445 East and 300 South, where he showed a handgun and officers fatally shot him.
Filion's last known residence was Salt Lake City, U.S. Marshals Service said in a statement.
No strike team officers were injured in the shooting, Holt added. He did not know how many officers were involved in the shooting but said multiple strike team officers from several agencies were on the scene.
Hondo, a Herriman City police K-9 officer, was shot and killed in the incident, according to officials from the Unified police Taylorsville precinct. Filion shot Hondo in the sternum while the dog was trying to apprehend him, according to Herriman Police Chief Troy Carr.
Hondo was taken to an emergency veterinary hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, Carr said.
"Hondo was a true warrior and his actions last night ensured that his loving friend and partner Ben would be able to return home to his wife, children and the (Herriman Police Department) family," Carr said at a press conference Friday afternoon.
Heartbreaking to get word @HerrimanPolice K-9 Hando was shot and killed. Thank you for your service Hando. 😢😢 pic.twitter.com/xFusp9cu7k
— Felicia Martinez (@FeliciaKSL) February 14, 2020
Hondo was a 7-year-old Belgian Mountain Malinois who started police service in October 2015, Carr said.
Hondo assisted with over 100 felony arrests and helped get hundreds of pounds of narcotics off the streets of Herriman and the Salt Lake area.
Holt said Filion had a violent history. Typically when law enforcement ask the strike team to assist them in locating or arresting a fugitive, those fugitives have active violent warrants or a significant criminal history, he said.
A female was also taken into custody, but it's unclear what her involvement may have been.
U.S. Marshals deputies do not wear body cameras, so it is unclear if there will be any body camera footage available of the shooting, Holt said.
U.S. Marshals confirm the weapon pulled out by a dangerous fugitive was a gun, which ultimately killed K-9 Hondo. pic.twitter.com/qOOnKqCQry
— Felicia Martinez (@FeliciaKSL) February 14, 2020
Contributing: Felicia Martinez, KSL TV; Kenneth Griffey, KSL; Xoel Cardenas, KSL.com
Correction: This article was updated to show the correct breed of dog.
