SOUTH JORDAN, Utah — Just over one year after a man was shot and killed by police in South Jordan, his family says they are still waiting for answers.
Marcelo Gutierrez, 31, was shot in June of last year by police responding to calls of a suspicious person at Skye Drive and Skye Park.
Earlier this year, they spoke with FOX 13 News and said they just want to know what exactly led up to the shooting. At the time, police said they tried to arrest Marcelo, but then things escalated.
His family held a vigil Saturday night. They say a hole is left in the South Jordan community, and sobs could be heard from the street corner where it happened.
It was an emotional night for this family. Not only are they devastated, but they are extremely frustrated. They say that after a year, they have not gotten any answers as to what happened to Marcelo.
WATCH: South Jordan family left with questions one year after brother shot, killed by police
South Jordan police said they got a call about a suspicious person looking through car windows. Police claimed that they tried to de-escalate the situation when Marcelo pointed a knife at officers, and that when Marcelo didn’t cooperate, they shot him and he died.
Marcelo's brother, Bryan Gutierrez, says they have been searching for answers and body camera footage and have been denied on all fronts.
“We ask questions, we don’t get answers. We go to the mayor, we get pushed away. The police won’t talk to us, district attorney won’t talk to us, everything is under investigation and we are left to suffer, and that is disgusting,” he said.
His sister Paola described the toll it has taken on their family.
"It’s a daily living nightmare. You wake up, you go to bed, like every moment, something hits you, something reminds you," she said.
Bryan said Marcelo had mental health issues and that police should not be involved in mental health cases. The family questions if mental health training needs to be evaluated.
"There’s supposedly this police training that they go through to handle individuals with mental health episodes," Paola said. "Where is that training? What is that training? Does that need to be looked at again? Because this is happening more often than not.”
In a statement, South Jordan Police said the investigation was turned over to the Salt Lake County District Attorney and that they were awaiting the conclusion. The statement went on to say that records, including body camera footage, would not be released until the district attorney determines the legality of the use of force.
FOX 13 reached out to the district attorney to see if there were any more updates, but we did not receive a response.
The family says all they want is answers.
