WEST JORDAN, Utah, Jan 2, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Police in West Jordan have identified the man involved in a domestic incident on Thursday evening that accelerated into a two-alarm fire leaving one man hospitalized and two other people without a place to stay.
Body cam footage shows the moments West Jordan officers encountered 36-year-old Brandon Morgan as he became increasingly agitated and set fire to the home. (Click here to see police body cam video … )
https://gephardtdaily.com/local/wjpd-video-officers-tase-pull-suspect-from-burning-west-jordan-house/
The incident started when the West Jordan Fire Department and the West Jordan Police Department were sent on a call at about 5:50 p.m. Thursday to a residence at 3235 W. 6725 South. The police arrived first, and quickly pulled the Morgan out of the house.
“They (officers) had to make entry into the house, which is where they confront the suspect lighting the fire,” said Ian Adams, an officer with the West Jordan Police Department. The WJPD removed the Morgan from the residence.
“He’s up at the hospital right now, being treated for some self-inflicted wounds,” Adams said. The injuries were not life threatening, he added.
Reed Scharman, deputy chief at the West Jordan Fire Department, said two people at the scene described Morgan as being “out of control.”
“West Valley Fire arrived and started putting out the fire,” Scharman said.
The other two residents of the home, one of them being Morgan’s father, were not injured, Scharman said. The three officers who entered the house were checked for smoke inhalation and did not have problems, he said.
Scharman said the damage to the structure was pretty extensive with most of it near the front of the house. A defensive firefighting strategy helped prevent damage to the houses on either side of the one on fire, he said.
The fire-scene investigation was ongoing, Scharman said Thursday evening, adding it might take more time than usual due to the cold temperatures (about 12 degrees at the time).
Scharman declined to comment on earlier reports that the Morgan had mental problems, saying the first priority was to determine the cause and extent of the fire.
