Taylorsville officer found not justified in fatal police shooting; officer charged with manslaughter

May 14, 2026, 11:29 AM

A Taylorsville police officer was charged Thursday with manslaughter in a fatal police shooting in 2024. The district attorney determined his actions were not legally justified. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)

(Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)

BY PAT REAVY, KSL

KSLNewsRadio

SALT LAKE CITY — A Taylorsville police officer was not legally justified when he shot and killed a man sitting in a car in 2024, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced Thursday.

As a result, officer Jimmy Jeremy Haas, 36, of Salt Lake City, was charged Thursday with manslaughter, a second-degree felony.

On Oct. 9, 2024, Henry Chavez, Jr., 28, was killed by Haas, who was investigating a stolen car case. The vehicle that was reported stolen was spotted by police near 4500 South and 900 West.

Officers from Taylorsville, along with the Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter, followed the vehicle but did not become engaged in a chase. When the vehicle pulled into a parking lot near 3900 South and 300 West, police attempted to make contact with its occupants.

During the encounter, a Taylorsville police officer fired an undisclosed number of shots, hitting and killing Chavez who was inside the car, Taylorsville police stated in 2024. No information was ever released about what prompted the officer to shoot.

Gill is holding a press conference to explain the findings of the police shooting investigation.

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Taylorsville officer found not justified in fatal police shooting; officer charged with manslaughter

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