TAYLORSVILLE, Utah -- A man is clinging to life after crashing an RV into a government building and then shooting himself in the head in Taylorsville Wednesday, and police are now offering more details about a possible motive.
The incident occurred Wednesday afternoon at the Calvin Rampton Building, 4501 South Constitution Blvd., when an RV crashed into the building and the driver subsequently shot himself in the head.
The building houses various government offices, including the driver's license division, which may be why the man targeted that building, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
“It was definitely a deliberate act," said Col. Danny Fuhr of the Utah Highway Patrol. "Looks like it was definitely targeted towards the conflict he had with the office."
The vehicle shattered glass doors at the front of the building after the vehicle left the roadway, went over the curb and passed several benches.
“...then traveled up the sidewalk, probably ranged between 15 and 20 miles per hour, in that short distance, and then got as far into the doors as he could," Fuhr said of the incident.
Police said that man, who has not yet been identified pending notification of his family, is clinging to life at a nearby hospital.
Bomb crews spent much of Wednesday afternoon searching the vehicle, clearing it for explosives and other potential dangers as investigators worked on determining a motive. Police said they cleared the vehicle, finding only the weapon the man used to shoot himself.
Fuhr said they believe an unsuccessful appeal of a suspension relating to DUI may be the motive for the man's actions.
"He had a DUI arrest, which he was trying to have them repeal that sanction on his suspended license," he said. "They upheld the suspension, which caused him some conflict.”
Employees with the driver's license division said the man may have sent an email earlier Wednesday and followed up with a phone call, but police are still working to confirm the details of those alleged communications.
There were no other injuries reported in connection with the crash, which Fuhr said they are grateful for.
“Of course, our worst nightmare was that he would come out and endanger our employee's lives," he said.
FOX 13 News does not generally cover incidents of apparent attempted suicide, unless there is a larger impact to the public, such as in the case of a crash and a gun shot at a government building.
