Man in police shootout, manhunt shoots himself as officers close in, chief confirms

TAYLORSVILLE — A manhunt for a gunman who exchanged shots with a Taylorsville police officer early Thursday ended when police say the man took his own life as officers were closing in.

The identity of the deceased man has not yet been released.

The incident began about 4:20 a.m. when a Taylorsville officer noticed a "suspicious" person in the parking lot a gas station near the corner of 4700 South and 2200 West. Taylorsville Police Chief Brady Cottam did not know Thursday what the man was doing that made him appear suspicious, but when the officer approached to find out what was going on, the man ran.

As the officer was running after him, the man fired several shots at the officer, Cottam said. The officer returned multiple shots of his own and took cover. The officer was not injured.

One of the shots, however, went into either a home or a senior living center nearby and caused minor injuries to an elderly man, Cottam said. The chief was still trying to get information Thursday about where the man was when he was injured. He said the man suffered minor injuries to a shoulder after being hit by building material debris that was flung after being struck by the bullet. It was not immediately known if the man was asleep at the time or how close he was to the bullet when it hit the structure.

The elderly man was checked at a local hospital as a precaution and was then taken to a relative's house while the search for the gunman was underway.

Following the exchange of shots, police shut down traffic in the area and asked residents to remain in their homes as dozens of officers from multiple agencies responded to the scene to look for the man. Cottam said officers surrounded the area and waited for a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter to arrive on scene and assist in the search.

After the chief put out the message to residents to shelter in place and to be on the lookout for the gunman, emergency dispatchers received a call later in the morning from a resident about a man spotted hiding in the window well of a house. The helicopter flew over the area to check out the possible sighting. As the helicopter honed in on the house, a man got out of the window well and ran, Cottam said.

Officers and police K-9s then closed in and about 7:30 a.m. they located the man in the front yard of a residence just a couple of blocks away from where the original confrontation took place, Cottom said. As officers approached him, the chief said he shot himself.

The officer who exchanged shots with the man was placed on paid administrative leave while the incident is investigated by an officer-involved shooting protocol team from another police agency.

Contributing: Linda Williams, Alex Cabrero

Related topics