SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Members of a U.S. marshals task force fatally shot a man in Utah they were attempting to arrest for an alleged parole violation in an incident that drew protests against police violence, authorities said.
The Violent Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team tracked the man to south Salt Lake City where the shooting occurred Thursday, KUTV-TV reported.
The man was identified Friday as Damien Evans, who was white, the television station reported. A warrant had been issued for Evan’s arrest earlier this month for an alleged parole violation.
U.S. Marshals Chief Deputy Brandon Holt previously said officers attempted to arrest him, but Evans fled on foot and showed a firearm as authorities chased him.
“He brandished his firearm and was engaged by officers, and was fatally wounded,” Holt said during a press conference.
The strike team is generally assigned to apprehend suspects who have a violent criminal history or who police believe may resist with violence when apprehended.
Protests were already planned ahead of the shooting calling for justice for Jacob Blake, a Black man shot in Milwaukee on Sunday, and ahead of events to commemorate the 57th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech.
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