PRICE, Utah, Sept. 6, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — The Carbon County Attorney’s Office has ruled the use of deadly force by multiple officers in July’s fatal shooting of a suspect justified.
“After conducting an Officer Involved Critical Incident (OICI) review, the Carbon County Attorney’s Office has declined to file criminal charges for the July 31, 2024 use of deadly force by officers from multiple surrounding agencies,” according to a brief press release from Carbon County Attorney Christian Bryner.
Shot fatally by officers was Patrick Frank Whitten, 31, of Price. The Utah State Bureau of Investigation conducted the OICI investigation into the circumstances surrounding this event, the release said, and forwarded it to prosecutors’ office for review.
The legal standard typically applied in OICI cases is whether the officers believed an immediate danger of death or serious injury existed and whether that belief was reasonable.
Whitten was shot multiple times after he reportedly brandished a weapon at law enforcement officials responding to a domestic violence report, police said at the time.
Officers from the Price City Police Department, Helper City Police Police Department, and Carbon County Sheriff‘s Office answered the domestic violence call, which came in at 11:36 p.m. July 30, a Tuesday.
Officers responded to an area just outside the Price city limits.“During their investigation, officers discovered that an involved male party had left the residence, and his location was unknown,” the Utah Department of Public Safety said. “It was also determined that he was potentially armed.
”A short time later, the man was located hiding outside, near the residence. When officers confronted him, he brandished a weapon. In response to this threat, officers from multiple agencies fired.” Whitten later died at a hospital.
