Police release body cam footage of Halloween’s fatal shooting of man wielding swords
Dec 18, 2023, 6:16 PM | Updated: 6:17 pm
COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah — The Cottonwood Heights Police Department has identified the suspect who allegedly approached police officers with two swords.
According to CHPD, Unified Police Department officers responded to a domestic disturbance call from a home in Midvale on the evening of Oct. 31 involving 38-year-old Mark Brunson.
Brunson was a resident of the home and had a “notable criminal history” with reported mental health issues and alleged substance abuse, according to the CHPD press release.
“When UPD’s officers arrived, Mr. Brunson quickly drove from the scene armed with two swords and attempted to evade the police,” the press release stated.
The chase ended about a mile away in a Cottonwood Heights cul-de-sac, where a UPD officer and multiple CHPD officers tried to defuse the situation.
According to police, Brunson exited his car and quickly approached officers while wielding two 27-inch-long swords.
“When the officers’ attempts to de-escalate the situation with verbal commands failed and after the CHPD officer’s deployment of her Taser, the UPD officer was compelled to act in defense of the officers and the community and shot Mr. Brunson,” the press release stated.
