SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 20, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A man accused of shooting and killing his girlfriend in a downtown apartment Feb. 10 has been released from the hospital and booked into jail.
Michael Tyson Nance, 30, of Salt Lake City, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with the murder of Natalie Thurber, 34.
He was also charged with shooting and wounding a Salt Lake City police officer.
The charges are as follows:
- Aggravated murder, a first-degree felony
- Attempted aggravated murder, a first-degree felony
- Aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony
- Aggravated assault, a third-degree felony
Shortly after 3:30 a.m. Feb. 10, Salt Lake City police dispatch received a phone call from 125 S. 300 East. On the open line dispatch could hear talking about someone getting hurt and getting killed, a probable statement said.
“Multiple Salt Lake City police officers arrived at the Eleanor Rigby Apartment Complex to conduct a welfare check,” the statement said. “When Salt Lake City officers arrived, officers could hear screaming and yelling coming from the apartment complex. Officers announced their presence by calling out ‘police’ to make contact with the persons in the apartment.”
Officers heard two separate gunshots come from the interior of the apartment complex, one of which struck one SLCPD officer in the lower leg, the statement said.
Two SLCPD officers engaged the suspect and returned fire through a basement apartment’s window.
“Officers on scene made entry into the apartment building to locate involved parties and made entry into apartment 103,” the statement said. “Officers observed a deceased female in apartment 103 with a gunshot wound to the head. The suspect was not located inside the apartment; however, a fresh blood trail was located leaving the back door of the complex in a south and east direction.”
SLCPD dispatch received another call regarding a male, bleeding heavily from the face, who was at the Salt Lake City Fire station, at 500 E. 200 South, the statement said.
Salt Lake City Fire Department personnel began treating the man, later identified as Nance, for his injuries. Nance was transported to the Intermountain Medical Center approximately an hour after the shooting. The preliminary information provided by doctors at IMC was the wound appeared to be self-inflicted.
“During the investigation, it was determined that Michael Tyson Nance was the apartment renter and the deceased female, identified as N.T. was his live-in girlfriend,” the statement said.
“It was learned an argument ensued prior to the 911 call being placed which resulted in N.T. being shot and killed. Nance then directed fire at the officers outside upon their arrival, then turned the weapon on himself in efforts of committing suicide, which failed.”
A single bullet hole was located in the ceiling, nearly entering the apartment directly above 103, the statement said.
Two officers have been placed on administrative leave as a result of the incident, as per protocol, and Unified Police Department will be investigating both the officer-involved critical incident and the homicide.
Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown said body camera footage would be released within 10 days, as is protocol.
The injured officer’s name has not been released.
Nance does not have a previous criminal history in Utah.
A Facebook fundraiser has been set up to benefit the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition at the request of Thurber’s family.
Gephardt Daily will update this developing story as more information becomes known.
