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SALT LAKE CITY — Despite numerous commands from police, who even pleaded with the 35-year-old man to put his knife down and stop walking toward them, Cameron Ammon Cloward was shot and killed in a barrage of gunfire when he refused to follow orders.
On Monday, Salt Lake City police released footage from six body cameras of officers who responded on April 2 at about 2:30 a.m. to a report of a man with a knife at Charlie's Market, 875 S. State Street.
In a recording of the 911 call made by an employee at the convince store and gas station that was released Monday, the employee tells an emergency dispatcher a man attacked him while demanding cigarettes.
"He tried to stab me, so I hit his hand," the employee said. "I hit his hand with a bat."
The employee was able to get Cloward outside the store and lock the door. He tells the dispatcher that Cloward is still standing near the store. The 911 call ends shortly after police arrive.
"He's walking away and police are trying to stop him," the employee says.
Officers arrived to find Cloward outside, near the convenience store parking lot, holding a knife.
In the body camera videos, Cloward can be seen holding a knife raised near his chin and the blade pointed toward police. Officers repeatedly yell, "Put the knife down," "Get on the ground" and "We will shoot you if you come close."
Another officer is heard pleading with Cloward, "Please don't make us do this. Please, please put the knife down."
But Cloward responds by saying "No" and "I don't care."
Initially, Cloward is facing police and doesn't move. An officer is told to get a less-lethal shotgun from his car. But before that officer can retrieve the weapon and return to the scene, Cloward begins walking. At first he appears to be walking back toward the store, but then begins walking directly toward the officers.
He is warned several times by officers to stop or they will shoot.
"Stop walking towards us," an officer is heard yelling.
Approximately 11 seconds after Cloward starts walking, and moments after stepping directly toward police, four officers fire approximately 15 rounds from a few feet away, killing Cloward.
Man shot, killed by Salt Lake officers after refusing orders, police say
A man was shot and killed by police at 875 S. State in Salt Lake City early Tuesday after officers said he had a weapon and refused to comply with their orders."Any loss of life is tragic, and the use of deadly force is a traumatic event for our officers. This situation unfolded very quickly and involved safety risks to our community and officers. Our officers are trained to perceive, interpret and respond to a person's actions. The body-worn camera footage released today shows our officers urging and ordering Mr. Cloward to put down his knife and to stop walking toward them. Maintaining the safety of our community can be full of risk and unpredictability," Chief Mike Brown said in a prepared statement.
The officer-involved shooting is being investigated by a protocol team lead by West Jordan police, which will then turn findings over to the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office to determine whether the officers were legally justified in using deadly force.
