Sandy police release body camera footage of fatal shooting of teen
By: The Sandy City Police Department released body camera and dash camera footage on Tuesday from a Nov. 9th shooting by officers that killed a 16-year-old boy.
The footage released begins with a 9-1-1 call reporting a stolen government van and ends with police cuffing the teen. His identity is blurred as he exits the vehicle, and the footage shows at least one wound.
The teen’s identity is obscured in all videos, and he will not be identified by police.
KSL TV is releasing the video to the public but is not showing any footage with the teen visible.
Police provided an edited compilation of the footage of all the police cameras into a single release for the public. The video, published with this story, includes two brief segments where the teen is visible but blurred, removed. Media outlets were also provided nine source videos used to create the summary video.
Police initially followed the vehicle that was suspected to be stolen, but their lights and sirens were not activated. The driver attempted to elude them. Officers activated tire spikes and another officer confronted the driver with a drawn weapon, and ordered him to “get out of the car now.”
Lt. Dean Carriger with Sandy Police Department said that at that point, instead of leaving the van, the driver made a U-turn. The body camera footage shows the confrontation shortly after.
“As the suspect drove south in the northbound lanes, he hit a motorcyclist, causing severe injuries,” Carriger said.
He said the injury escalated police priority to stop the stolen van, and officers then pursued with lights sirens.
The driver turned onto Monroe Plaza Way, a business area in Sandy, not far from Interstate 15.
“The suspect turned the stolen van around … in the direction of the officers, the injured motorcyclist and those rendering aid to him,” Carriger said.
He said as the van returned toward police that it veered toward an officer standing outside his vehicle. That officer fired his gun multiple times to the van.
The van passed the officer, but then slowed as it was being shot at. The road back to the motorcyclist is blocked and the van stops. The teen is ordered to put his hands up.
Police open the door, the boy steps out, is placed face down on the ground and his arms are cuffed behind him. His voice is audible on the ground.
“Ow, I’m sorry,” the teen says.
He later died at a hospital, according to police.