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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- The family of a former Utah state trooper suspected in several Dallas-area shootings issued a statement of sympathy Thursday to the families of those killed.
"Our hearts are heavy and our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have lost a loved one in the incidents that may be related," the family of Brian Smith said in a statement.
The statement was sent by e-mail to several media outlets, including the Salt Lake Tribune. The e-mail credits Smith's father, Benton Smith, of Preston, Idaho, with drafting the statement.
Authorities say Smith was the gunman in a series of shootings on a Dallas interstate and a street in suburban Garland on Monday that left two dead. A third person was injured.
Smith died Wednesday at Parkland Hospital in Dallas after being removed from life support. He suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head during a standoff with police on Tuesday.
"Brian was a loving and dedicated son, husband, father and friend. He will be missed," the family statement said.
The family also said they are devastated by recent events and that "it's hard to imagine the Brian we knew could be involved in such acts."
Smith was a UHP trooper from 1996 until he resigned and voluntarily surrendered his police officer certification in May. The departure from police work followed a January incident in which Smith downed a pint of liquor while in his patrol car and threatened suicide, according to a police academy report.
Smith later moved his wife and family of five to Texas, where he worked in sales for IBM.
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Information from: The Salt Lake Tribune
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
