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LAYTON — A man was seriously injured after he was shot by police officers at a Layton apartment building Wednesday morning.
Officers responded to an unrelated domestic violence call at Layton Meadows Apartments, at 540 W. 1425 North, when they encountered a man on a third-story balcony with a rifle, according to Layton Lt. Travis Lyman.
The man was later identified by police as Nathan Barker, 31, of Layton.
Barker had been yelling and pointing his rifle around the courtyard at the apartment complex, allegedly saying he wanted the officers to shoot him, Lyman said. Police attempted to de-escalate the situation, but Lyman said Barker eventually fired a shot into the air. The lieutenant said he was unsure if the shot went into the ceiling of the balcony or just into the air.
Officers returned fire, hitting Barker around 5 a.m., after an hour of attempted de-escalation, according to a social media post by the Layton Police Department. Ring doorbell footage shared by neighbor Kenneth Vigil captures the sound of three shots being fired.
Several agencies responded to the scene. Lyman said the officer who fired his gun was a Davis County Sheriff's Office deputy assisting Layton police.
Barker was taken to Holy Cross Hospital-Davis and was later flown to a hospital in Salt Lake in serious condition, Lyman said. He later said Barker was still in serious condition but was stabilized and will likely survive.
Officers had encountered Barker earlier in the night, at another apartment complex.
"He appeared intoxicated at that point, but wasn't causing any problems, and had a friendly exchange with our officers at another location," Lyman said. "So, we're not exactly sure what prompted this."
The investigation is still ongoing under the Davis County critical incident protocol team.
Contributing: Gabrielle Shiozawa
