PROVO, Utah, June 24, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — The parents of a man who was shot to death by an armed passerby after an altercation in Provo in early June have penned an open letter to the community.
The incident occurred in a driveway near 500 N. 200 East, about three blocks south of the BYU campus, on June 3.
Provo Police Sgt. Nisha King told Gephardt Daily at the time, “An uninvolved male came up and gave verbal commands to the man to stop. When he didn’t stop, the uninvolved male shot him — in the chest, I believe.”
The wounded man, Jeremy Sorensen, 26, was rushed to a local hospital where he died late that night.
The Provo Poluce Department posted a statement on social media the next morning, outlining the case.
“Investigators believe Mr. Sorensen and an 18 year old woman were physically fighting in a driveway when a passerby stopped to intervene in the fight,” the statement said. “That person got out of his car and told Sorensen to stop fighting and warned him he would shoot. At some point the man in the vehicle produced a firearm and shot Sorensen twice.”
Provo Police Department posted on Facebook Monday morning:
“It has been three weeks since the death of Jeremy Sorensen and his family has been through a myriad of emotions. With utmost compassion, Jeremy’s parents decided they wanted to write a letter to our community and department.”
Provo officials then shared the letter, which reads, in full:
We are deeply saddened over our son Jeremy’s death and the circumstances under which it occurred.
We appreciate the efforts of those who witnessed the shooting and ran to Jeremy’s assistance until police and emergency vehicles arrived. We also honor their courage in providing evidence during the investigation.
We appreciate the police officers who responded to the crime scene and the compassion they showed toward our son.
We are grateful for the dedication and openness of the Provo Police Department throughout the investigation.
We trust and are hopeful that honest and just conclusions will be made by the Utah County Attorney’s Office from the evidence gathered by the police.
Sincerely,
Mr. and Mrs. Sorensen
Gephardt Daily will follow up on this developing story as soon as more information becomes available.
