Army Deserter Killed In Gun Battle With Utah Officers
A 28-year-old Army deserter wearing fatigues, military boots and full body armor exchanged fire at a busy intersection with Salt Lake City (Utah) PD officers, who fatally shot him.
A 28-year-old Army deserter wearing fatigues, military boots and full body armor exchanged fire at a busy intersection with Salt Lake City (Utah) PD officers, who fatally shot him, Sgt. Robin Snyder told POLICE Magazine today.
Army specialist Brandon Barrett shot an officer in the leg during the shooting near the Grand American Hotel on Friday.
Barrett used an automatic rifle and had strapped almost a dozen high-capacity magazines of ammunition to his body, said Snyder, the Salt Lake PD's public information officer.
During the exchange of gunfire between officers and Barrett, several civilian vehicles were struck with rounds and a power line from a utility pole fell near 600 South and Main streets. Police cordoned off the intersection, including the area with the live wire.
"Several other vehicles were hit in the crossfire," Snyder told POLICE. "It's amazing that no one else was hit."
Barrett had returned from serving in Afghanistan in June and had been classified as a deserter just eight days prior to the shooting, the Deseret News reports. A photo in a gallery on that publication's website includes an image of the soldier following the shooting.
The Salt Lake City officer is the third Utah law enforcement officer shot in a a 36-hour period. A Kane County Sherieff's deputy was ambushed by a robbery suspect. Also, a South Jordan PD officer was shot while serving a warrant early Thursday.
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