OGDEN, Utah, Sept. 30, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — Ogden police are on the scene of an officer-involved shooting Wednesday morning.
The incident occurred in the area of 31st Street and Wall Avenue at approximately 7:30 a.m.
Ogden Deputy Police Chief Eric Young said a customer dropping off a vehicle at AAMCO Transmissions and Total Car Care at 3076 Wall Ave. noticed glass broken out of the door of the repair shop and called 911.
“Officers were sent at about 7:31 and arrived within minutes,” Young said. “A single officer arrived by herself in the beginning. The officer encountered a male inside the business, concealing himself in a room. The suspect refused to follow commands and the officer exited the building.”
The suspect then allegedly attacked the officer with an unknown item in his hands, Young said. That attack began inside the building and continued outside, he said. The officer fired two shots outside the building, striking the suspect.
“Once the suspect complied with the officer she immediately requested medical assistance, and applied emergency lifesaving measures to the suspect,” Young said.
The suspect was transported to McKay-Dee Hospital in Ogden, where he is in stable condition. He was shot in the upper torso or upper arm area.
Young said the suspect has been identified through previous arrest records, has no known address and appears to be homeless. He is a Caucasian male in his 30s, Young said. Efforts are underway to locate his family, and his name will not be released until that time.
The suspect will be charged when he is released from hospital, Young said.
The officer was not shot or injured. She is being interviewed then will be placed on administrative leave, pending the results of the investigation.She was wearing a body-worn camera and “the incident was captured in its entirety,” Young said. That footage will be released at a later time. Young said she was hired by the Ogden Police Department in June 2017.
Police said the investigation will be conducted by an outside agency as is protocol for officer-involved shootings. In this case, the Weber County Attorney’s Office will conduct the investigation. The Ogden Police Department will conduct its own investigation. The results of both investigations will be presented to the chief of police.
“I believe the actions of our officers averted what could have been a tragic situation for our officer or one of the employees of this business this morning,” Young said. “My initial review of the evidence leads me to believe that a theft of any equipment or money was not the intention of this suspect to do. In closing, I would like to say to the public, unaddressed mental health concerns and drug addiction have consequences in our society. Individuals who are unstable due to drug addiction and mental health illness are dangerous to you, and to those who protect you. There must be a greater effort on the part of society as a whole to mitigate this growing illness in our population.”
Gephardt Daily will provide more information as it is made available.
