UTAH COUNTY – Police in Utah County were gifted active shooter kits from a local business, and the donation was made in honor of a deputy who was shot and killed in the line of duty in January.
Firehouse Subs in Provo donated about $13,000 worth of active shooter kits to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, and those armor kits are designed for use in life-threatening situations like serving arrest warrants or responding to active shooters.
The donation was made in honor of Sgt. Cory Wride, who was fatally shot by a suspect in January as Wride approached a vehicle. Deputy Greg Sherwood was injured as the suspect fired at police during the pursuit that ensued.The suspect was killed as police returned fire.
Will Page is a franchisee for Firehouse Subs in Provo, and he said the kits will help keep officers safe.
“It’s lifesaving equipment,” he said. “It can save someone’s life, and it’s what they really need, but they don’t have the funds to purchase this equipment. They have so many other things they have to purchase.”
He spoke about how Sherwood, who was responding to the shooting, may have been spared some of the injury he suffered if he would have had such a kit available to him when reports of the shooting were made.
“He could of put it on real quick… It might of just have been a hard hit to the head, versus instead, you know, bullets going into his head,” Page said. “And, you know, he might be working today… he might be actually out on the streets with his K9 partner and really doing what he wants to do. He doesn’t want to be recovering from an injury; he wants to be out working.”
Page said Firehouse Subs has donated more than $137,000 in the last four years to police agencies and other first responder agencies in the state, and their donations include funding to bring a K9 partner to the Utah County Sheriff’s Department. That K9 was partnered with Sherwood.
