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TOOELE — A 9-year-old boy accused of shooting and killing his father in Tooele is also believed to have used a tomahawk-style hatchet during the brutal attack, according to police.
The shocking incident on Feb. 16 is still being investigated by Tooele police. But a pair of recently unsealed search warrants in 3rd District Court give glimpses into some of the evidence that detectives have collected.
About 7:30 p.m. on that day, police were called to the area of 380 W. Millcreek Way (480 South) on a report of a 32-year-old man found in his bedroom with a gunshot wound to his head. The father was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries the next day.
According to the warrants, one dated Feb. 16 and the other Feb. 22, the emergency crews responding to the home initially believed the man had attempted suicide.
"Upon further investigation, (he) was found to have been shot in the back of the head and had lacerations to his head, face, hands and arms. Medical personnel at the hospital advised that the lacerations to the extremities appeared to be 'defensive wounds,'" one warrant states.
Police searching the room found a bullet hole in a curtain, a hatchet and several firearms along with various amounts of ammunition and firearm-related items inside the bedroom, according to one of the warrants.
Among the items seized on Feb. 16 were a hatchet, several gun magazines, a gun and pants that were child-size, the return to the warrant states.
Another warrant states there were likely seven other people in the home at the time of the shooting, including five children under the age of 11. The father and his 9-year-old son had "retired to bed early due to behavioral problems and went into the bedroom that they share.
"The victim's son later emerged from the room and said that his dad was bleeding from the head and was dead," the warrant states.
A gun was found under the bed where the father was found, the warrant further explains, as well as "a tomahawk style hatchet … covered in blood. A shell casing was found in the corner of the bedroom. A bullet hole was found in the curtain and another one slightly above it in the window frame case."
Detectives seized a tablet that the 9-year-old allegedly claimed he had been using "immediately prior to the homicide," the warrant states. Other people in the home said the boy had regular access to his father's phone and used it to play games and contact people.
"Occupants of the home describe the (boy) as spending a lot of time on these devices, consuming content, watching videos and playing video games. There have been instances where the (boy) has viewed videos that were deemed not age appropriate and shared details of these videos to other children in the home, resulting in discipline. The games described as the suspect's preference are particularly violent in nature and one in particular, 'Modern Warfare: Warzone' incorporate the same weapons in gameplay that were found and used in the assault, a 9mm Glock-type handgun and a tomahawk," according to the warrant.
Police noted the crime was "particularly gruesome" and the "specific methods used in the assault — single shot to the head, followed up with tomahawk strikes" — are not typically actions taken "or even known about" by 9-year-old children.
Police say their investigation into the incident is still ongoing.
