Salt Lake County DA says officers justified in deadly Halloween shooting, calls for mental health aid
Aug 30, 2024, 9:00 PM | Updated: Aug 31, 2024, 8:00 am
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill speaks during a press conference on Aug. 22. (Isaac Hale/Deseret News)
(Isaac Hale/Deseret News)
COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah — Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced Friday that officers were justified in the deadly Halloween shooting that happened on Oct. 31, 2023 in Cottonwood Heights.
It was late that night when a woman called 911. She expressed concerns about her husband, 38-year-old Mark Brunson, becoming intoxicated and angry.
The call led police to chase the man into a Cottonwood Heights neighborhood. Body camera footage shows him waving two swords, yelling, and moving toward the officers.
Gill said he met with Mark Brunson’s widow Friday morning.
“It is tragic because she was trying to reach out for help to try and get aid for a person who was in distress,” he said. “You hear her mention that on the 911, that he had been up at the hospital before.”
Gill used this as an opportunity to remind everyone about the importance of offering more mental health aid.
“This is sort of the challenge that we have. We have people who are in our community suffering from mental health issues, and we’re trying to reach out to provide some, but those dynamics can change very quickly,” he said.
Gill said he would not file criminal charges against the Unified Police Department officer who shot and killed Brunson that night. He said the officer believed force was necessary to prevent death or serious harm to himself and to those around him.
