Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Dennis Alma Day, 76, was charged with aggravated assault and firearm discharge.
- Day allegedly attacked his wife with a sledgehammer, prompting her 911 call.
- Officers showed restraint during arrest; Day surrendered after throwing his gun away.
WEST JORDAN — A 76-year-old West Jordan man arrested Monday and accused of attacking his wife with a sledgehammer is now facing criminal charges.
Dennis Alma Day was originally booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of attempted murder but was charged on Thursday in 3rd District Court with aggravated assault and illegal discharge of a firearm, third-degree felonies.
About 8:50 a.m. Monday, Day called 911 and said, "I am trying to kill my wife, and it's personal," according to a police booking affidavit.
While emergency dispatchers were on the line with Day, his wife also called 911 "to report that her husband had hit her in the head with a sledgehammer and was trying to kill her. The victim informed dispatch that she had escaped and was in the street, bleeding from her head," the affidavit states.
The woman would later further explain to police that while she was bending over to put laundry in the washing machine, she "felt 'a terrible something in the back of her head' causing her to see stars," according to charging documents. "(She) stated that she was hit again and saw blood dripping into the washing machine. (She) turned and saw Day holding a sledgehammer."
The victim managed to grab the sledgehammer from her husband and throw it down the stairs while running out of the house. She told the first arriving officers that she heard a gunshot in the garage as she was leaving, according to the affidavit.
Two officers then spotted Day in the garage holding a gun.
"The officers challenged him and ordered him to drop the gun. The suspect raised the gun, pointing it at the responding officers," according to the affidavit.
But the officers did not shoot. West Jordan police say the officers showed incredible restraint and discipline and relied on their training to prevent the situation from escalating into a police shooting.
West Jordan police detective Dirk Petersen said the officers had enough distance between them and Day that they were able to take cover behind their vehicles.
Petersen called it an "intense moment" in which "pretty quick decisions" were made. Ultimately, the officers were concerned about their backstop, not knowing if anyone else was inside the house, and didn't feel the right thing to do at that moment was open fire, Petersen said.
Day hid behind a parked vehicle in the garage. But after the officers gave multiple commands to surrender, Day threw his gun into the street and was taken into custody a short time later, the affidavit states.
The woman was treated for her injuries at a local hospital.
Prosecutors have requested that Day remain in the Salt Lake County Jail without the possibility of posting bail pending trial.
