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TAYLORSVILLE — An armed domestic violence situation in Taylorsville on Wednesday ended in a fatal police shooting when officers say they were confronted by a man armed with a rifle and wearing tactical gear.
About 10:15 p.m., Taylorsville police were called to a residence near 5000 South and 3800 West on a report of an "armed domestic violence incident," according to a statement from the department. Just before officers arrived at the scene, a woman was able to flee the home to a neighbor's house unharmed along with her 3-month-old infant.
"Her husband, Joseph Potts, 34, was still (in their house) and began firing shots with a rifle both inside and outside of the house," according to police. It was not immediately known how many shots were fired. Police say in addition to firing his weapon inside the house, Potts also fired shots through a window while still in the house.
There were no immediate reports of damage to neighboring homes or vehicles, and police were not initially sure where those shots ended up.
"The SWAT team was called to the house, along with several detectives and (Taylorsville police's) victim advocate," the department stated.
As officers were attempting to make contact with Potts, he stepped out of the house "wearing tactical-type gear and showed his rifle," according to the statement. "Police responded with shots fired, and Potts suffered a fatal gunshot wound. He was declared dead at the scene."
Police later clarified that when Potts "showed" his rifle, he pointed it directly at officers. No officers were injured.
An officer-involved critical incident protocol team led by Salt Lake police will investigate the shooting. A member of the Taylorsville SWAT team was placed on standard administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
Police say they had not had any dealings with Potts prior to Wednesday night.
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting:
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition: Utah's confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah's statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
