WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, May 23, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — A West Valley City man who police says shot himself Sunday after a multi-hour standoff has been identified as Zachary Walmer.
The West Valley City Police Department has confirmed that after more than five hours of negotiation Sunday afternoon, 27-year-old Walmer — who reportedly fired a gun, held his girlfriend hostage, and requested that officers shoot him — was found dead from a self-inflicted wound when officers stormed his apartment.
WVCPD tweeted at 6:50 p.m. that negotiations had broken down, and the suspect was not responding. SWAT put gas into the apartment, at 3568 S. 4240 West, then entered the building.
Roxeanne Vainuku, information officer for the West Valley City Police Department, said negotiators had been working with Walmer to get him to come out of the apartment peacefully.
Police had evacuated apartments near and facing the suspect’s unit, she said.
The domestic dispute started last night, Vainuku said, and the girlfriend left the apartment. The woman returned Sunday, and the situation escalated.
People who said they heard gunshots, and one who reported seeing a gun, called the WVCPD at at about 12:50 p.m. Sunday. Walmer reportedly said he would shoot officers who entered the apartment.
Negotiators later talked him into releasing his hostage girlfriend.
The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
