MILLCREEK, Utah — Authorities have identified those involved in a fatal shooting, which led to a standoff lasting all night and nearly a whole day.
Officers responded to a home on 3900 South near Highland Drive in Millcreek around 6 p.m. Friday after a man went to the nearby Unified Police precinct, reporting that another man was shooting inside the home and people were dead.
A standoff with officers and SWAT team members ensued, in which the suspect who was barricaded inside the house shot at police — including while they entered the home to rescue an elderly woman.
Saturday around 3 p.m., Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera (who oversees UPD) said they had sent drones into the home and found three people dead.
They believed, based on photographs and the suspect description, that one of them was the alleged shooter.
"He was extremely armed with various firearms, a lot of ammunition," Rivera said. "Our understanding is the family was here to do some type of intervention for drug addiction and there was some mental health issues going on, and something went wrong."
Later Saturday evening, UPD confirmed the identities of the deceased.
The victims were 54-year-old Bonne Rachelle Brady and 53-year-old Timothy Andrew Legrande. The suspect was 30-year-old Jacob Andrew Legrande.
All three lived in Millcreek, but it was not clear as of Saturday night who lived in the home where the standoff took place.
Joseph Noble, who identified himself as a close family friend, said he tried to drive to Millcreek in time to try and help, but it was too late.
He said he viewed Jacob Legrande as a brother and Timothy Legrande as kind of a stepfather.
"His dad always praised me, always told me how proud of me he was," Noble said. "I loved them all very much. I’m going to miss them so much."
"They were good men and I just can’t believe they’re gone," he continued, crying. "They took me in when I was homeless for a time. I lived on their couch."
While the causes of their deaths are part of an ongoing investigation, officials believe the two victims were shot and killed Friday before police even found out about the situation. They are also investigating the cause of the suspect's death, but they were confident that nobody else was in the home during the standoff other than him and the two deceased victims.
"Sometimes we can’t save all the lives, and that’s what happened here," Rivera said. "Two of them were deceased before we even knew of the call, but they were fortunate enough to save one life here."
Details on what exactly led to the shooting are not yet available as the investigation is ongoing. All of the individuals involved were relatives.
Rivera also said that throughout the night, the suspect continued to shoot at officers, but none were injured and none of them fired back.
Officers took fire while rescuing the elderly woman.
"That is an act of heroism," said Jeff Silvestrini, the mayor of Millcreek. "Our officers exercised patience. They didn’t rush in. They didn’t try to shoot it up. They just waited it out until the situation unfolded."
At one point, the suspect even shot a robot that was sent into the home.
The severity of damage to the robot is not yet known.
The standoff lasted so long because the man was heavily armed with multiple guns and lots of ammunition, and the police agencies involved did not want to put their officers' lives in further danger. They had also hoped to end the standoff with the suspect safely in custody.
"I want to thank the community, though, because they were very patient with us," Rivera said. "I know it took a lot out of them, too. But at the end of the day, we do believe the community is safe now."
