MURRAY, Utah — A Murray family is demanding justice for their brother after he died in a shooting with police two summers ago.
On Thursday, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced the county will not press criminal charges against the two officers involved.
“I want these officers to own up for what they did,” said Marisa Espinoza, the victim’s sister.
The county released officer bodycam footage that shows the shooting at the Villas at Vine apartment complex near Erekson Lane and Vine.
“Can I talk to you for a sec? We just need to talk to you, make sure you’re OK,” said the officer to 33-year-old Willie Salazar.
In the video, you can see the officer approach Salazar, who starts to back up into an apartment hallway.
“Keep your hands where I can see them,” said the officer.
“No, I don’t want to talk,” said Salazar.
“Don’t run for it,” said the officer.
The video shows Salazar firing one shot at the officer, hitting him in the leg. The officer fires four rounds.
When the officer realizes he’s been hit in the leg, he runs to the side and a second officer approaches the hallway, firing two more shots at Salazar.
“Show me your hands, now! Show me your hands! Get them up where we can see them. Show me your hands!” said the second officer.
While the second officer is shouting those commands, the first officer returns and fires three more shots while Salazar lies on the ground.
“I was like, ‘Are you serious?’” said Espinoza. “It clearly shows him raising his arms.”
According to Gill, the gun was found over fourteen feet away from Salazar’s body. Evidence suggests it could’ve been thrown before the last five rounds.
Gill said there’s no evidence the officers knew the gun was off Salazar and that’s why the county won’t press criminal charges.
“We could not prove, even on that third incident there, that it was unreasonable,” Gill said Thursday.
Salazar’s sisters, Marisa Espinoza and Victoria Cruz, said they waited for a year-and-a-half to see the video, but they’ve now missed the one-year window to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the police department.
“I feel like that was wrong and these officers need to take some type of responsibility,” said Cruz. “If they can’t be charged for murder they need to be off the force.”
The sisters are hoping a civil suit could bring justice for their brother, but they’re still waiting for police to release more evidence and bodycam video.
“We want something to be done here and we’re not going to stop fighting,” said Cruz. “This isn’t our end. We’re going to keep going for Willie.”
A spokesperson with the Murray City Police Department told FOX 13 News that they’d received multiple complaints and GRAMA requests from the family. They said the Internal Affairs Department is looking into it.
