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- Police in South Jordan killed a man during a gunfire exchange Friday night.
- This marks Utah's fourth fatal police shooting in just five days.
- All involved officers are on leave as investigations into the incidents continue.
SOUTH JORDAN — Police officers shot and killed a man Friday night in an exchange of gunfire — the fourth fatal police shooting in Utah in just five days.
South Jordan police said they responded to reports of a vehicle theft near 9400 South and 4600 West at 10:23 p.m. and "made contact with a male inside a vehicle."
The man "fired at officers and officers returned fire" before the man ran off, police said in a statement. Multiple agencies "flooded the area," and the gunman was found in a nearby backyard.
"During the second interaction with the subject, more shots were fired," according to the statement, before the man was taken into custody and transported to the hospital where he later died.
No details were given about the second shooting, including which agencies were on site, how many officers discharged their weapons, and the circumstances of the shooting.
All involved officers were placed on administrative leave, and the area "will remain closed as the investigation continues into the morning," the statement says.
This was the fourth police shooting death in Utah in just five days.
- On Monday, Nathan Paul, 43, was shot by police in West Point who were responding to a domestic violence incident at a home near 670 N. and 2300 West. Family members told officers that Paul "was possibly suffering a mental health episode." A Davis County sheriff's deputy and Clinton police officers responded and said they discovered that Paul was armed. "Attempts to deescalate the situation both verbally and with two nonlethal options were ineffective. As the situation developed, two Clinton officers discharged their weapons, striking the suspect," police said.
- On Wednesday, West Valley police responded to 3310 W. Enterado Ave. and discovered the bodies of Terri Bertelsen, 63, and her husband, Kerry Bertelsen, 67. They also encountered the couple's adult son, Erik Bartelsen, 35, and he was shot and killed by police "during an encounter."
- Police shot and killed a man in Riverton early Friday who was wanted in connection with an arson investigation in Salt Lake City. Police say Tanner Merril Cottrell, 27, fired multiple rounds at officers while leading police on a chase from Orem to North Salt Lake to Riverton that started late Thursday. He was shot by officers from six police agencies after the chase ended in a crash at 124000 S. Redwood.
