MIDVALE, Utah, Sept. 19, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — The Unified Police Department has identified the man shot and killed after he allegedly pointed a gun at officers after a police pursuit targeting another man in the car.
The man shot by police was Matthew Cameron Knowlden, 22, officials confirmed to the media.
The others who were in the car were:
Joseph James Schultz, 24, the fugitive who was being sought by police.
Schultz is currently booked on felony charges related to a robbery case in July, theft and aggravated assault related to an April case, and violation of parole or probation connected to the current incident.
Jeannie Joyce Brereton, 19. Charges stemming from the most recent event do not yet show up in a records check.
She does stand charged with theft by receiving stolen property, a second-degree felony, in a Jan. 30 case in Salt Lake City.
Sasha Anne Jones, 29. Court records do not yet reflect a charge related to the current case, but she does face felony charges related to an Aug. 1 possession or use of drugs case, along with lesser charges.
What happened
The Friday night incident took place in the area of 7200 S. Bingham Junction Blvd. in Midvale, where Unified Police and West Valley City Police officers remained on the scene well into Saturday morning.
UPD Sgt. Melody Cutler said police were trying to apprehend a suspect, wanted for robbery and drive-by shootings, who had fled from officers “every time we encountered him.”
“Tonight he was located at the Motel 6 here in Midvale,” Cutler said at the scene. “Officers found the vehicle, spiked the car, but he continued to flee from them, running over the sidewalk and barreling into the construction zone, where it came to rest in this intersection.”
The vehicle’s driver and a female passenger got out of the car and ran southbound, Cutler said.
“Another passenger then got out of the car, produced a handgun and fired a round at officers. Officers then returned fire,” she said.
The passenger who fired at police was struck by return gunfire. He was transported to a local hospital and later pronounced deceased, Cutler said.
The driver of the vehicle, Joseph James Schultz, the suspect originally being sought by police, was taken into custody. Cutler added that police had been looking for him for “at least a couple weeks.”
The woman passenger who was in the vehicle was also arrested.
It isn’t known at this time how many officers fired their weapons or how many times Knowlden was struck by gunfire.
Cutler pointed out late Friday that it was still very early in the investigation.
“We have a lot of witnesses,” she said.
No officers were injured during the incident.
