Police shooting results in death of man in Salt Lake City
Jul 25, 2020, 10:22 AM | Updated: Dec 30, 2022, 11:22 am
At least one person is dead after an "officer-involved critical incident" in Salt Lake City. Photo: Morgan Wolfe, KSL
SALT LAKE CITY — One man is dead in an officer-involved shooting involving Salt Lake City police officers, the department confirmed Saturday.
Police shooting following hostage situation
It happened near 500 South and 500 East Saturday morning.
According to police, two officers responded to a report of a knife fight in the area about 9:30 a.m. Police were told that two men inside a Smith’s grocery story had stolen property and one was carrying a knife. One witness described the knife as being the “length of a forearm.”
Upon arrival, officers found both the men outside the store, but still nearby. The suspect with the weapon was holding the other man hostage at knife point.
After ignoring verbal commands to drop his knife, the suspect was shot and killed, while the second man was unharmed.
GRAPHIC CONTENT: Body camera footage leading up to the officer-involved shooting. The suspect had another man at knifepoint prior to being fatally shot. pic.twitter.com/CgS7Doeoog
— John Wojcik (@JWojcikKSL) August 7, 2020
The man who died in the incident has been identified as 34-yeae-old Andrew Jacob Preece.
Police say they took the second man into custody for questioning.
Around 9:40 a.m. @slcpd got called to the area near Smith’s on 5 E. Two men were fighting. The 9-1-1 call included mention of a weapon.
Investigation of the shooting now goes to West Valley City per standard protocol when an officer is involved. #KSLTV pic.twitter.com/n0I8C1JeTc
— Morgan Wolfe (@MorganWolfeKSL) July 25, 2020
According to Salt Lake County’s Officer Involved Critical Incident Protocol, revised in 2018, an officer-involved critical incident can be any of the following events:
- The use by an officer of a dangerous weapon that leads to someone’s injury
- The fatal injury of anyone (except the officer) because of the use of an officer’s vehicle
- An in-custody death, if it was not the result of natural causes, disease, etc.
- The fatal injury to someone as the result of an officer trying to prevent their escape, arrest or restrain them
This is the department’s fourth officer-involve critical incident this year and the second fatal incident. This remains an active and open investigation.
