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News Specialist Karen Scullin reportingThe West Valley City Police forensic expert killed in the line of duty last week was eulogized by family and friends today.
Scott Spjut was laid to rest in Bountiful. Spjut died Thursday after he accidentally shot himself while examining a gun for fingerprints.
An unexpected, tragic death...but it's Scott Spjut's life that is being remembered today.
"He had a heart of gold. And he loved his kids dearly, and they adored him. They would want to spend all their time with him," say Erik Spjut, Scott's brother.
Along with family members, hundreds of police officers from all over Utah and Idaho, and even firefighters came to pay their respects. But people within Scott Spjut's "forensic family" aren't surprised so many turned out to recognize a man who contributed so much.
"The responses came from across the world. We had London. We had England. We've had all across the United States responding to Scott. I just heard today that if you type in Scott's name on the Internet, you have over 200 websites that have a tribute to him set up on them right now," says friend James May.
But today doesn't mark the end of Scott Spjut's forensic expertise. His co-workers in the West Valley City Forensic Unit that Spjut created say they'll keep his legacy alive, and his goals right on track.
"The four of us are going to stick together and keep going. And we're going with Scott's goals that he had and what he wanted the forensics unit to be. And we're going to continue on to finish out his dreams that he didn't get to finish out that he had started," May says.
Scott Spjut is survived by his wife and two children.
