SOUTH SALT LAKE, Utah — A pair of police officers were ruled justified by the Salt Lake County District attorney in their use of deadly force when they fatally shot a man in South Salt Lake in September.
On September 26, South Salt Lake Police officers responded to a disturbance call for a man with a gun. After the encounter with police, a man, identified as 44-year-old Jebb Muir, was pronounced dead at the scene.
In addition, one of the officers involved was injured by a bullet and was taken to the hospital for recovery. He was later able to return home as the officers involved were placed on administrative leave.
An investigation into the incident revealed additional details about what led up to the shooting.
Documents from the District Attorney's Office explain that Muir initially called authorities and said he had accidentally fired a weapon into his neighbor's house and made threats such as if a SWAT team was sent, he would kill officers.
Officials went to the home and called into the home for Muir to make his way outside, but Muir refused, the investigation revealed.
"While officers were [surveying] the residence, a neighbor to the north of Mr. Muir's residence called 911 and reported that there was a man in his driveway with a rifle who just asked him if he wanted to die," documents read in part.
As a pair of officers responded to the call, they saw Muir on a bike and turned a spotlight on him while one of them took cover behind the vehicle and started yelling commands at Muir.
"Almost immediately," findings report, Muir and one officer began firing their weapons at each other and the second officer also fired one round.
In total, Muir fired three shotgun rounds at police, striking one officer in the side of the head and the officers fired a total of 13 rounds at him.
"I felt myself get struck in the side of the head with a projectile," one of the officers said in a written statement for the investigation. "I knew immediately that I was in grave danger."
After the shots were fired, officers approached Muir and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said he had the opportunity to sit down with the family of Muir before the press conference to discuss the investigation and emphasized that they were frustrated with the lack of mental health support they received for their loved one.
"They wanted to communicate that this is not who their son, Jebb was," Gill explained. "This was his mental illness and the psychosis and the struggle he was with."
While the family holds no animosity for officers, Gill explained they hope for better training in the future.
"They had no animosity toward the officers," Gill said on behalf of the family. "They understood the context for why the force was necessary, but they did want to share that there are far too many families like them in our community who have loved ones who could benefit from having access to mental health services and they did not get those available to them and they wanted us to emphasize that as well."
