A man was fatally shot late Sunday night in downtown Salt Lake City after he allegedly pulled a weapon on police officers.
Little information was immediately available on the shooting, which occurred at 1002 S. State Street about 10:30 p.m., according to public safety dispatchers.
SLCPD police Sgt. Brandon Shearer said an officer in a patrol unit had approached the suspect, believed riding a bicycle, at 10:17 p.m. Two more officers soon arrived as backup.
The suspect, identified only as an adult black male, “produced a weapon. De-escalation tactics were used in an effort to get the suspect to drop the weapon,” Shearer said.
Details of what happened next were unclear, but one officer opened fire, striking the suspect at least once. Critically injured, the man was given first-aid at the scene by police and then transported to the hospital by ambulance, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
Shearer said at least one officer was placed on administrative leave. Only one of the officers fired shots, he said.
All three officers were equipped with body cameras, but Shearer did not know if they had activated them. He also could not discuss what kind of weapon the suspect had (though it was recovered at the scene); how many shots were fired; where on his body the man was wounded; or specifically why the suspect had been stopped in the first place.
“That‘s part of the [ongoing] investigation,” Shearer said, which will be conducted independently by Salt Lake County’s Unified Police Department.
Inquiries to UPD about the incident were not immediately answered on Monday.