BOUNTIFUL, Utah, July 25, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A man who allegedly told a family member he wanted police to shoot him was booked into the Davis County jail Monday.
Joseph Ashkenbah Kinghorn Tracy, 27, was booked on suspicion of:
- Aggravated assault targeting law enforcement with bodily injury, a first-degree felony
- Criminal mischief, loss of $500 to $1,400, a class A misdemeanor
“I was dispatched to assist on a domestic, upon arrival dispatched advised that the suspect had thrown a hammer at a police officer,” Tracy’s probable cause statement says.
“The officers on scene were able to take the suspect into custody placing him in handcuffs, checking them for fit and double locking them. During the course of my investigations I discovered that the suspect had taken a hammer and hit the walls of the residence, threatened (a family member) and then came outside stating he wanted to get the police to shoot him.”
Once Tracy was in the patrol car, “he began to scream,” says the affidavit, filed by a Bountiful Police officer. “Due to his behavior, I deemed it best for officer safety to not attempt to place the shoulder and lap belt on him. The suspect was transported to DCSO and the scene was documented.”
The court document added that multiple witnesses said they saw a hammer thrown at an officer.
“The suspect was captured on body camera, the scene was documented with photography and the suspect’s (family member) was present and a witness to what occurred.”
People having suicidal thoughts are urged to call 988, the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. It is available 24 hours a day, and can counsel callers in English or Spanish.
