SANDY, UTAH – November 3, 2015 (Gephardt Daily) – An October officer-involved shooting during a domestic violence dispute that left a Sandy man in critical condition has been found legally justified.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement that after conducting a routine Officer Involved Critical Incident (OICI) review, it has determined that the Oct. 2, 2015 Use of Deadly Force by a Sandy City Police Department officer was legally justified.
According to Sandy City Police Sgt. Dean Carriger, the shooting took place around 5:30 p.m. when officers were called to a home at 197 East Corrie Circle with reports of a man beating his wife and son.
When police arrived, they encountered 56-year-old Ivan Kaumans armed with a rifle standing in front of the residence.
Witnesses say three officers drew their weapons and ordered the man to drop the rifle. After repeatedly refusing to heed police warnings, an officer armed with a patrol rifle fired one shot, striking the suspect in the arm and chest.
Kaumans was taken by ground ambulance to Intermountain Medical Center in critical condition.
Sandy City Police say prior to their arrival, officers had received reports the suspect was trying to break into a room inside the home where his wife and son were hiding.
Police say they were also warned the man had a rifle near the front door of his home.
None of the responding officers was injured in the shooting.
The officer who shot the suspect was placed on paid administrative leave and the Murray Police Department was called in as an outside agency to investigate the officer-involved shooting, as per Utah state law.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office is required by Utah State law, and operates pursuant to an agreement with participating law enforcement agencies and consistent with established protocols and applicable law, to perform joint investigations and independent reviews of officer-involved critical incidents including police officers’ use of deadly (including potentially deadly) force used in the scope of police officers’ official duties.
