Police identify man who allegedly wounded Provo officer in gunfight


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PROVO — Police released the name of the man who allegedly shot at them from his apartment on Thursday.

Keith Justin Taylor, 44, of Provo, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Saturday after being treated at a hospital for injuries he sustained during the exchange of gunfire with police. Taylor is being investigated for three counts of attempted aggravated murder.

According to the jail booking statement, neighbors at the Vista Ridge Apartments, 80 S. 900 East, reported a man "acting crazy" and a possible gunshot was heard. When police arrived, the glass door to the building was already shattered. After approaching Taylor at his apartment, Taylor said he was a federal employee with the DEA and NSA and he complained of being harassed, hence firing his gun at the door, the statement says.

As police tried to coax Taylor from the apartment, he slipped away, grabbed an AR-15 style rifle and pointed it at the officers, according to the police report. He allegedly fired at the officers, hitting one of them twice, and the officers fired back. Taylor only stopped to yell at them that they were "gonna die" and "this is your last will and testament."

The injured officer was taken to the hospital while the others detained Taylor, who was also injured and taken to the hospital.

Taylor, who has a history of traffic violations and was charged with drug crimes in 1996, is being held without bail as officers believe there is "an obvious and substantial risk to the public."

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Wendy Leonard is a deputy news director at KSL.com. Prior to this, she was a reporter for the Deseret News since 2004, covering a variety of topics, including health and medicine, police and courts, government and other issues relating to family.

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