Bluffdale officers justified in shooting armed man, report concludes

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BLUFFDALE — Two Bluffdale police officers were legally justified in shooting a man armed with a gun during a confrontation that started as a call for medical assistance, the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office announced Friday.

But despite officers firing 17 times, an autopsy determined that Kendall Thomas, 44, died of a single self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Until Friday, very little information had been released about the shooting incident. On Jan. 24, Bluffdale fire and police crews responded to an undisclosed "medical call" about 8:30 a.m. at 14941 S. Castle Valley Drive (3250 West).

According to District Attorney Sim Gill's final report, Thomas had suffered a seizure and locked himself inside his basement room. Thomas' mother, who called emergency crews, told police officers and firefighters that she could not pick the lock to Thomas' room. She also warned "that he gets combative and doesn't know what's happening when he's had a seizure, and that he hadn't been talking to her since the seizure" and refused to open the door, the report states. "(She) explained that it was an alcohol-induced seizure."

Five paramedics plus three Bluffdale police officers responded to the house.

"One of the medics asked (the mother) if (Thomas) had any weapons in there, to which she responded, 'Not that I know of,' and then explained that he gets combative with anyone but her, with men especially, and that they'll frighten him," according to the report.

After again failing to pick the lock, a paramedic kicked a hole in the lower portion of Thomas' bedroom door and then got on his hands and knees to look into the room. In body camera video from the officers involved, both paramedics and Thomas' mother can be heard trying to explain to Thomas that they are there to help him.

But just 12 seconds later, the paramedic "jumped up and back as he exclaimed, 'Whoa! He's got a … pistol!" Gill's report states. Gill added Friday that the medic also said, "The gun felt like it could have touched my face."

As the paramedic later explained when interviewed as part of the shooting investigation, "So I moved the bottom (of the door) and he's right there and he looks at me … crazy-eyed. Like he was not in his right mind … he's just not thinking correctly," according to the report. "And I see his face and then he takes the gun like to shoot me to like right there."

As emergency crews all ran out of the narrow hallway, officers Talio Roberts and Garrett Carter — who had been waiting at the back of the hall until that point — grabbed their guns and ordered Thomas to drop his weapon. Thomas then poked his head and his gun through the hole in the door and "pointed the gun toward the officers," the report states.

In body camera videos, Thomas' head can be seen poking through the door and he is seen looking directly and the officers before pointing his gun at them.

The officers began firing toward Thomas while retreating down the hallway to take cover. At one point, Thomas drops his gun but then picks it up again. "Then, about 55 seconds after officers finished firing, Mr. Thomas fired a single round from the revolver to his left temple," according to the report.

An autopsy determined Thomas was shot twice in his right arm and hand by police. But it was the self-inflicted gunshot wound that caused his death. It was the only shot fired by Thomas.

"Based upon the facts in this case … we believe that it is reasonable for us to infer that officer Roberts and officer Carter believed they needed to use deadly force against Mr. Thomas to prevent death or serious bodily injury to themselves and/or others," Gill concluded in the report while determining the officers were legally justified in firing their weapons.

Before holding a press conference on Friday to go over the shooting investigation, Gill said he met with Thomas' parents.

"They were genuinely concerned about the officers involved with this," he said, while adding that they also "have no ill will toward them."

It was also important to Thomas' mother that Gill stress that her son did not shoot at police or paramedics.

Gill called the shooting a "terrible tragedy." When asked if he believes anything can be done so that calls for help for people in crisis don't end in a fatality, Gill said there are no simple answers.

"I wish I had an honest, quick answer that I could give to you because I would have shared that a long time ago. There is just no simple answer here," he said.

Gill said the problem is the moment a gun is introduced to a situation, it changes everything.

"Those weapons escalate these situations. Everyone agrees this was absolutely tragic. It's a tragedy for the officers who found themselves having to use deadly force. It's a tragedy for the mother who was there who wanted to have help for her children. And she's concerned, she felt bad for the officers. But it was really important for her (to let the public know) that, 'My son was in this delirium. … I just want to make sure you say that he didn't shoot at the officers,'" Gill said.

The district attorney said the challenge for first responders is balancing trying to help someone in crisis with the volatility of a gun being introduced to the equation. And even if they had backed out of the house before kicking a hole in the door, some would have questioned why they didn't offer immediate assistance to the man who had suffered a seizure, Gill said while also noting that first responders would be subject to "Monday morning quarterbacking" no matter what they do.

"There is no easy answer," he said.

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Pat Reavy

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Pat Reavy interned with KSL NewsRadio in 1989 and has been a full-time journalist for either KSL NewsRadio, Deseret News or KSL.com since 1991. For the past 25 years, he has worked primarily the cops and courts beat.