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SALT LAKE CITY -- Salt Lake City police are defending a decision to fire several canisters of tear gas into a home where they believed Roberto Roman was hiding after he allegedly shot and killed Deputy Josie Greathouse Fox earlier this month.
Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank says Roman's uncle, Raymundo Miramontes, told them Roman was hiding in his house and they had no choice but to use the gas to protect the lives of officers.
Miramontes denies telling police anything about his nephew, and his son is demanding the city pay $25,000 dollars to clean tear gas residue from the house.
Burbank says that is not the department's responsibility and clean up from the tear gas is actually quite easy.
"The clean up for this is soapy water," he says. "They recommend Tide or Ivory and then air it out. I personally have been exposed to CS gas 25 to 30 times and go home in the clothes in my car in the exact same clothes I was in the environment in, wash those clothes, and I still own some of those clothes and use them on a regular basis."
Police tracked down Roman in Beaver the day after the Miramontes house was searched.
He's charged with capitol murder in Deputy Fox's death.
