Family Speaks About Woman Killed in Police Shootout

Family Speaks About Woman Killed in Police Shootout


Save Story
Leer en espaƱol

Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

Sandra Yi reporting Natalie Turner's family says she and her ex-husband were in a bitter custody battle for their two children. They say she went to his home Friday to talk to him.

Police say it turned into a dispute and ended with Turner dead and her ex-husband wounded.

David Turner: "The world is not as good a place as it was Friday because she's not in it."

Natalie Turner was shot and killed Friday after a domestic dispute and police shooting.

A home video shows Turner in happier times at a family gathering on July 4th.

She was 31 years old and the mother of two children, ages four and seven.

David Turner: "Natalie's one of those people who loves all animals and does everything you can imagine to make the world a better place for her kids."

Turner and her ex-husband, John Pochynok, were in a three year custody battle.

On Thursday, a judge ordered Turner to move back to Utah from her home in Hailey, Idaho.

David Turner: "She got it in her head that if she would come back to Utah, he would have the kids within a year."

Turner's fiance, David Gayler, told her family she was going to Pochynok's home to beg him to let her and their kids stay in Idaho.

David Turner says his daughter took a gun for protection. The gun belonged to Gayler's father.

David Turner: "She was the love of his life, and she's dead and he's thinking it's his fault because he let her have that damn gun."

Police say Turner shot her ex-husband at his Deer Mountain home. Turner and Gayler were taking him to the hospital when officers stopped their car near Park City.

Authorities say there was a struggle in the car and Pochynok shot his ex-wife. An officer shot Turner when she got out of the car brandishing the gun.

David Turner: "Whether she's thinking, and we don't know what she's thinking-- he's going to get the kids and I don't want to live, and wouldn't put the gun down. Or she wasn't hearing what they were saying."

Turner died at a hospital from the gunshot wounds. Her family is now turning their focus on her children.

David Turner: "Our goal is to try and keep her babies safe. That's all we can do now, 'cause that's all we have."

Summit County authorities say Turner had a protective order against her ex-husband. They also say they've responded to numerous domestic dispute calls between the two.

Pochynok is in the hospital in stable condition.

Turner's fiance is in the Wasatch County jail on suspicion of attempted murder.

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah

STAY IN THE KNOW

Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

KSL Weather Forecast