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PROVO — The father of the 22-year old BYU student who died Tuesday after his car was struck by an off-duty Utah County Sheriff's deputy responding to a SWAT incident remembered his son Friday as "the one everyone loved the most."
Wes Spencer's sentiment was reflected in the memorial his son's friends had built at the location of the crash. He remembered his son, Joseph Spencer, as easygoing and kind.
"He had this sort of spontaneous humor and wit. You know, he'd be quiet and then he would say something and everybody would laugh," said Spencer. "I think he really enjoyed that."
Wes Spencer said that his son had moved back to Provo recently after spending most of the COVID-19 pandemic at his family's home in Providence. Joseph Spencer was attending BYU in Provo when the fatal crash happened.
The 22-year-old was exiting the parking lot of a restaurant near 400 North and 900 East on Tuesday when his car was T-boned by a SWAT team truck driving to a standoff in Pleasant Grove, according to the Utah County Sheriff's Office.
Wes Spencer said the family wasn't informed by officers that his son had been hit by a Utah County sheriff's deputy who had been driving his personal vehicle while responding to the call. He said that he found comfort in comments from witnesses saying the driver of the vehicle that hit Joseph Spencer's car got out and attempted first aid on his son.
"It was comforting to read that comment," said Spencer. "You can imagine I had lots of questions and unpleasant thoughts about the other driver."
The deputy involved in the incident has been put on paid administrative leave as the Officer Involved Critical Incident Unit investigates.
Speaking generally, and not specifically about this case, Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said, "When somebody in law enforcement is attending something or doing something duty-related, they are obligated to obey all traffic regulations like anyone else. It is not uncommon for law enforcement officials to respond to emergency situations in their personal vehicles, he said.
Cannon said there's not an official timeline for the completion of the investigation.
Contributing: Garna Mejia, KSL TV
