TOOELE, Utah, Jan. 12, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A suspect was shot and critically injured early Wednesday morning after Tooele Police officials say he fired on officers responding to a domestic violence call.
Tooele Police Lt. Jeremy Hansen told Gephardt Daily officers were originally called to a residence in the area of 900 South and 600 West by a woman who said her husband was drunk, suicidal and armed, and had left the home.
Shortly afterward, the woman called to say her husband had returned home, and police were not needed, Hansen said.
“One hour later, at 5 o’clock exactly, she calls back to dispatch and says that it is becoming physical with her husband, who is 49 years old. The dispatcher can hear the wife screaming for the husband to get off her.”
The officers arrived at the couple’s house, and found the armed and intoxicated man in the garage.
Hansen said there was a confrontation, and one of the two officers fired twice. The suspect fired once. Hansen said it is unclear who fired first, and that will be determined through the investigation.
The man was hit in the upper torso, and was taken by ambulance to a helicopter pad, where he was transported to a Salt Lake City area hospital in critical but stable condition.
Hansen said the exchange of bullets happened when two officers were engaged with the man, and two others were approaching the area. No officers were harmed by gunfire, he said. No one else at the residence was injured.
The State Bureau of Investigation is among multiple agencies that responded to the scene to handle the officer-involved critical incident investigation. Investigators may be at the scene for much of the day, Hansen said.
