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SALT LAKE CITY — One person was injured after allegedly being shot by a Salt Lake City police officer who was assisting the Utah Highway Patrol in locating the driver of a vehicle that had been abandoned after an interaction with a trooper early Saturday morning.
"This incident appears to have unfolded very quickly," said Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown in a statement. "Our priority is to support our involved officer and to allow for a comprehensive and professional investigation to determine the circumstances and facts."
About 12:10 a.m., a UHP trooper saw a speeding white Dodge Ram with vehicle-equipment violations but before a traffic stop could be conducted, the vehicle drove away. The trooper later found the truck abandoned at 5650 W. 700 South and requested assistance from Salt Lake police about 12:25 a.m., Salt Lake City police said in a statement.
During the search for suspects, a Salt Lake City police officer fired at least one shot injuring one of two suspects, just 15 minutes after UHP's call requesting assistance. Law enforcement at the scene provided first aid until paramedics arrived and took the suspect to the hospital with injuries not considered to be life-threatening.
Additional Salt Lake City police officers and UHP troopers responded to the scene to look for anyone else involved. In all, two people, including the injured individual, were detained by police.
The officer-involved critical incident protocol has been invoked and the officer has been placed on paid administrative leave during the investigation.
"There are several investigations underway related to this incident. As those investigations proceed, additional information may develop that could result in some of this information becoming out of date," according to the statement from the department.
