Body-camera videos of Salt Lake City police shooting released

SALT LAKE CITY — Dallas Clint Fowers, 38, continued to hold onto his knife as he ran from Salt Lake City police officers.

"What did I do wrong?" he yelled at pursuing officers.

As Fowers ran to a parking lot near 600 East and 400 South, two officers fired a total of five to six rounds, causing non-life threatening injuries.

Fowers survived and remained hospitalized Friday. He was charged on Sept. 8 in 3rd District Court with assault on a police officer, a second-degree felony; being a restricted person in possession of a weapon, a third-degree felony; failing to stop for police, a class A misdemeanor; causing property damage, a class B misdemeanor; and disorderly conduct, an infraction.

On Friday, police released four body camera videos from officers who responded to the scene.

The incident on Aug. 31 began about 8:20 p.m. Salt Lake City police were called to Burger King, 575 E. 400 South, regarding a man who allegedly vandalized a car and threatened the owners, according to charging documents. Police stated the call involved "a violent psychiatric problem." Some of the body camera videos start as police arrive at the scene and find Fowers behind the business.

"Sit down," an officer commands.

"No," Fowers replies. "What did I do wrong?"

Fowers walks away from the officers, who continue to tell him to stop. He then pulls out a knife.

"He's got a knife," an officer is heard telling others on his police radio.

For several seconds, several officers with their guns drawn are heard yelling, "Drop it! Drop the knife!" and "get on the ground."

"Fowers turned toward officers and had a knife in his right hand. Officers told Fowers to get on the ground. Fowers ignored those commands and backed away from officers," according to charging documents. "Fowers then yelled, 'Don't … come near me!' while holding the knife in his right hand which was extended in an aggressive manner."

Fowers holds the knife in front of him as he continues to back away from the officers. At one point, an officer is heard on body camera video telling another officer, "Hit him. Hit 'em with the Taser. Go, go go."

"Officers deployed approximately four Taser cartridges, but the Tasers had no effect on Fowers," the charges state.

In body camera video, it's unclear whether the Taser prongs hit Fowers. As the Taser is deployed, Fowers turns and runs, and the officers chase after him.

"There is body-cam video showing the defendant holding a knife out in a threatening manner and yelling at police officers, 'Don't…come near me!' Those videos also show the defendant ignoring commands to drop the knife and get on the ground," prosecutors state in their charges.

Fowers ran toward 600 East, where a police officer turned on his car's overhead lights and siren, but Fowers ran around the vehicle.

"Put it down," officers running after Fowers continue to yell.

Just as Fowers reaches the parking lot on the other side of the street, he appears to slow down, and an officer suddenly finds himself within a few feet of Fowers. Fowers raises his right hand, turns his head toward the pursuing officers and again asks, "What did I do wrong?" Just as he turns, five to six shots are heard.

"The man continued to brandish the knife; two officers fired their weapon striking the man. The man was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave as is standard practice," police stated.

Prosecutos state in their charges that Fowers "has had 15 arrests and seven convictions, including two cases with felony convictions" including burglary and receiving a stolen vehicle.

Unified police are conducting the investigation into the police shooting, which will then be turned over to the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office to decide if the officers were legally justified in using deadly force.

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