- A Riverton police officer shot a man during a traffic stop on I-15.
- The man was taken by medical helicopter to a hospital with critical injuries; his condition is unknown.
- Southbound I-15 lanes were closed, and delays were expected until late evening.
DRAPER — All lanes of traffic heading south on I-15 in the south end of the Salt Lake Valley reopened late Tuesday night after hours of delays due to a traffic stop that led to a police shooting several hours earlier.
Drivers going south on I-15 near Draper were met with road closures and traffic backups after a man was shot by a Riverton police officer on Tuesday, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety.
Around 4:30 p.m., the officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle traveling south on I-15 near the Bangerter Highway interchange.
Sometime the during the traffic stop, a male passenger engaged in an altercation with the officer, which resulted in the officer discharging their service firearm, the department said in a press release.
Medical attention was rendered on scene, and the man was airlifted to a hospital with critical injuries.
Authorities said his current condition was unknown Tuesday evening, and the driver was taken into custody without incident.
The Utah Department of Public Safety said as with standard procedure, the Salt Lake County Officer-Involved Critical Incident Protocol Team 2 has been activated and is currently leading the investigation.
No troopers with the Utah Highway Patrol were involved, and the investigation is ongoing,
The incident forced the closure of southbound lanes of traffic on I-15 at Bangerter Highway, just before 5 p.m., according to the Utah Department of Transportation.
Images taken by a KSL photographer show a flurry of police vehicles from multiple agencies off to the shoulder of I-15 just south of the Bangerter Highway exit, blocked off by yellow tape.
Drivers heading south toward Utah County were guided off I-15 at Bangerter Highway and encouraged to reenter the freeway at 14600 South or seek alternative routes such as Redwood Road or Mountain View Corridor, though heavy delays were also expected on roads from Sandy to Lehi, UDOT said.
By 7 p.m. three left lanes on I-15 including the HOV lane had reopened, but UDOT still advised drivers going south to find other routes as traffic impacts could persist for several more hours.
A UDOT camera shows the backup with a bevy of cars heading south toward the Point of the Mountain.
All lanes had reopened by 10 p.m.
Police did not release the identities of the man who was shot or the driver.
