A Utah Transit Authority officer investigating a robbery at a TRAX station in the Central Ninth area on Thursday night opened fire on a guy who matched the suspect’s description. The shooting occurred after the man allegedly waved a knife at UTA officers.
According to a news release issued by UTA, at approximately nine o’clock in the evening, a person approached two UTA officers stationed at the TRAX platform near 900 South and 200 West and informed them that they had been robbed. According to the release, the victim provided the law enforcement officials with a description of the robber.
After some time, the officers found a man they believed might be the suspect. It is said that during that confrontation, the man pulled out a knife, which prompted one of the UTA officers to shoot the victim. According to the press release, the officer opened fire in self-defense.
After then, the man, who was 50 years old, was transported to a hospital in extremely critical condition. Both officers came out of the incident unscathed. As of the afternoon on Friday, there was no new information regarding the man’s disease.
Both UTA officers have been placed on administrative leave with pay. According to a database kept up to date by The Salt Lake Tribune, the incident was the first time a UTA officer had fired their weapon during a police shot since at least the year 2004. This brings the total number of people shot by police in Utah this year to 13.
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