OGDEN, Utah, Feb. 7, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Police in Ogden have released more details after a fatal officer-involved shooting which happened Friday night in the vicinity of 2900 Grant Ave.
Ogden Police Chief Eric Young said in a press conference Sunday morning the suspect was being sought in connection with a reported sexual assault, robbery and vehicle theft about 7:11 p.m.
Young said the victim and the suspect had only met that evening at a home, but further details of the nature of that meeting have not been made available.
Police said the armed suspect stole the victim’s vehicle, which officers pulled over near 30th Street and Washington Boulevard around 7:37 p.m.
As officers approached the vehicle, a female passenger immediately exited and surrendered, Young said. That female was not the victim, but a woman the suspect had offered to give a ride to in the stolen vehicle.
“The suspect exited from the driver’s seat and ran on foot from the officers, west on 30th and Washington Boulevard,” Young said. “Officers began to set up a perimeter around that area and began searching for the suspect on foot. The officers located footsteps in the backyard of a house in the snow in the 2900 block of Grant Avenue, and followed those footsteps into what I’ve described as an open garage or kind of a lean-to shed behind the house where a truck was parked under the garage.”
The footprints appeared to end in that area, Young said, and police began searching the area around the truck.
“As they were searching they found the suspect concealing himself in the bed of the pickup truck in the garage,” Young said. “The suspect stood up in the bed of the pickup truck, armed with a handgun. The suspect refused to comply with commands from the officers.”
Two Ogden officers then fired their weapons; the suspect was struck by the gunfire. Officers provided medical attention to the suspect, and summoned medical personnel to the scene.
“The suspect had clearly sustained non-survivable injuries and was declared dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel,” Young said.
Neither officer was injured in the shooting and both have been placed on paid administrative leave as per Ogden Police Department policy. Both were equipped with body-worn cameras. The footage from those cameras has been provided to the Weber County Attorney’s Office Officer-Involved Critical Incident Team, who will conduct an independent investigation.
The footage will also be made public, Young said, but will be coordinated with Weber County investigators “to protect the integrity of their independent investigation into this matter.” The Ogden Police Department will conduct a separate internal investigation.
He added that the Ogden Police Department also employs two full-time civilian victim crime advocates, and their services will be made available to the victim. OPD also partners with Your Community Connection domestic violence and rape crisis center to ensure that victims of crime are fully supported in their recovery. The victim did not need medical attention.
Investigators from Weber County will assist in identifying the suspect and notifying family members. The suspect is believed to be from out of state, Young said, and had not spent a significant amount of time in Ogden or Utah. He is thought to be a Hispanic male in his 20s or 30s, Young said.
“Events like these bring focus to the challenging circumstances police officers face each day in their work,” Young said. “I’m very proud of the brave work our officers do in service to Ogden City every day.”
Gephardt Daily will update the story as more details become available.
