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MIDVALE, Utah, May 1, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A SWAT team has responded and negotiators are attempting to coax a man out of a Midvale apartment after a domestic violence incident and gunfire were reported by neighbors.
The incident was first reported at about 10:30 a.m.
“Our initial officers responded and did some immediate evacuations and shelter in place,” Detective Ken Hansen, Unified Police Department, told reporters at the scene.
“Information we have from other witnesses who called in, (determined) our tactical team, our SWAT team would be the one to make contact. We also have our negotiators here to try and hopefully negotiate this situation to an end where everyone’s safe. But it’s going to take some time. The most important thing now is to try and make contact with the suspect, who is at this point, is not answering his phone.”
About 15 minutes after Gephardt Daily’s 12:25 p.m. interview with Hansen, successful contact was made with the suspect, and negotiators began urging him to surrender.
Hansen said the decision to evacuate nearby residents and bring in a SWAT team was made after information was shared by people who know the suspect. Hansen did not share the nature of the information. When asked specifically about blood in the apartment, Hansen said “we were seeing that through images were being sent. That’s all I can say.”
Hansen confirmed that the suspect was still in the apartment, and said officials believe a second person is also inside.
“We don’t know if this is a hostage situation, a barricaded situation. There are a lot of situations that look like this. We’ll see. It may take some time.”
Gephardt Daily will have more information on this developing story as it becomes available.
He murdered his girlfriend.