SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - A police sergeant was not justified in his involvement in a fatal shooting in Salt Lake City last summer and could face criminal charges, a Utah prosecutor announced Friday.
Charges have not been filed against West Valley City Police Sgt. Jason Vincent, but Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said “the matter remains open and under consideration until more information can be gathered,” KUTV reported.
Vincent was part of a federal law enforcement task force pursuing Damien Evans, who was wanted for parole violation, in August 2020. When officers tried to arrest Evans, he ran and was armed with a handgun, Gill said.
Vincent chased Evans and fired a gun at him once but did not hit anyone, Gill said. Evans tried to climb over a fence and, Gill said, witnesses saw him “pull or draw the weapon as though he were going to remove it from his pocket.”
Another officer, Clinton Moore, then fired six fatal shots at Evans, according to Gill. The prosecutor said Moore’s actions were justified, and he will not file charges against him.
The West Valley City Police Department is reviewing the decision and conducting an internal review of the shooting, the agency said in a statement Friday.
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