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WEST JORDAN — What started as a domestic violence call Friday evening escalated as a suspect, identified by police as Nicholas Kemp, started shooting at responding officers.
Kemp later died from injuries sustained in the firefight, West Jordan Police Sgt. Andrew Hercules said Saturday, but details about those injuries were not made available.
Police on Friday were dispatched to the area of 8700 S. 1300 West. Kemp fled from police down 1300 West in a car, shooting at officers who returned fire. One bystander, Diane Taylor, told KSL-TV she was walking her dog when she heard the sirens approaching and tried to duck off down a side street to avoid the chase.
"As I'm turning, it all happened so fast and they were coming very quickly. I heard gunshots, probably four or five. I couldn't tell if it was the guy getting pursued, if he was shooting back, if they were shooting forward. I couldn't tell," Taylor said.
She said she was hit in the shoulder by what police later said could be shrapnel from the firefight.
"Thankfully, it hit maybe the ground first then bounced up and hit me in the shoulder. But that's as much as I know," Taylor said. She added that the police officer who took care of her "was very caring. He called an ambulance, then they took my vitals and made sure I was OK. I felt OK, but I appreciated the care. They took it seriously."
The chase ended tragically for Kemp, however.
No details were released as to where the chase ended, but Hercules said at some point Kemp was placed into custody and transported to the hospital, where he died.
West Valley City police were called to the scene to conduct an independent investigation into the shooting, as is protocol in an officer-involved critical incident.
