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SALT LAKE CITY — A person who was pursued and shot by Salt Lake police officers on Jan. 13 has now died, police confirmed on Saturday. But the police department has not provided much information.
The name and age and even the gender of the individual has not yet been released. Police have only referred to the person as "the suspect" and have said that the state medical examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the official cause of death.
The investigation began about 2:30 a.m. on Jan. 13 when officers say they located a car near 1300 W. Arapahoe Ave. with at least two occupants who had outstanding felony warrants. Police attempted to stop the car but the driver drove away and officers chased after the vehicle.
Police attempted to spike the vehicle's tires, but that apparently failed. The driver eventually crashed into a parked car near 500 N. Star Crest Drive (1840 West) in Salt Lake City. Police say the passenger of the vehicle surrendered to officers, but the driver of the car got out and began to run toward a home.
Three officers shot at the driver, who later received medical aid at the scene before being transported to the hospital in critical condition, according to Salt Lake police spokesman Brent Weisberg.
Weisberg at the time said police suspected that the driver had a weapon, but investigators have not publicly confirmed whether the driver actually did. Salt Lake police have not said what prompted the officers to shoot the person, but Weisberg last week described the shooting as "an incident involving a very dangerous person in our community."
The individual later died of their injuries at a hospital. Saturday's statement from the police department does not specify when the person died but says police learned about the death Saturday and adds that no other information was being released.
Salt Lake police have not said how many shots were fired, how many times the victim was hit or where the person was shot.
An outside agency is investigating the police shooting. Four officers who were involved remained on paid administrative leave Saturday.
