RIVERTON, Utah, July 5, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — One person is dead and three officers are on administrative leave in the aftermath of a fatal police shooting overnight in Riverton.
A Riverton police spokesman told Gephardt Daily the shooting took place shortly after midnight outside the Riverton City Park and rodeo grounds where thousands had gathered earlier to watch the city’s July 4th fireworks show.
According to Riverton PD, the fireworks had ended when 911 operators received calls of a hit-and-run driver in a 4×4 who had allegedly struck a vehicle in the park’s parking lot.
Officers soon spotted the driver just across the street from the rodeo grounds and after pulling him over quickly came to the conclusion alcohol was involved.
“They were in the process of conducting a field sobriety test when the suspect became incredibly aggressive and non-compliant,” the Riverton PD spokesman said. “Unfortunately, there were shots fired and the suspect was pronounced deceased on scene.
“Right after midnight, we had the Salt Lake City police protocol investigative team down here. They’re the primary investigators on this, and they were on scene from 1 a.m. until 6 a.m.”
The spokesman said it was unclear if the suspect was armed and the lone officer who opened fire “felt threatened and fired his gun.”
Gephardt Daily will update this developing story as more information becomes available.
