Media Contact Information: PolicePRUnit@slcgov.com

SLCPD Releases Body Worn Camera Footage from Officer Involved Critical Incident

SALT LAKE CITY —  Today, in compliance with Salt Lake City Ordinance 200.10.200, the Salt Lake City Police Department is releasing body-worn camera footage of the officer-involved-critical incident (OICI) that occurred at 08:52 p.m. Mountain Time on July 09, 2022 at 1423 South Utahna Drive in Salt Lake City, Utah.

SLCPD Case Number: 22-129713

Initial call type: Agency Assist

Subject: Peter Michael Larsen, 44

Complainant: 9-1-1 caller

Statements in this release are based on a preliminary review of limited information available at the time of this writing. A thorough investigation is being conducted by an outside agency, pursuant to the Officer-Involved-Critical-Incident Protocol.

The video footage released today captures the Officer Involved Critical Incident from the body-worn cameras of the two, and only known, SLCPD officers who discharged their duty weapons and four other SLCPD officers who were on scene and whose body-worn camera captured audio of the OICI.

STATEMENT FROM CHIEF MIKE BROWN:

“I am very proud of how our officers responded to this situation. Based on a preliminary review of the body-worn camera footage, our officers acted quickly to protect firefighters, neighbors and fellow officers. They used time and distance to their advantage, but they still found themselves in a situation that quickly intensified.”

LINK TO VIDEOS: 

• Body Worn Camera Video 1
• Body Worn Camera Video 2
• Body Worn Camera Video 3
• Body Worn Camera Video 4
• Body Worn Camera Video 5
• Body Worn Camera Video 6

911 CALL: 

There are two identified 9-1-1 calls to this incident.  The first 9-1-1 call starts the response from the Salt Lake City Fire Department. The second 9-1-1 call occurs after the officer-involved-critical-incident from a person reporting hearing several shots.

• 9-1-1 Calls

INFORMATION:

All videos start with 30-seconds of no audio. This is not a malfunction. The “Axon 3” body-worn cameras used by the SLCPD have a continuous 30-second video only buffer. When a recording is activated, the buffered video captured directly before the event is saved and attached to the event in permanent memory. This feature is intended to capture the video of an incident just before a recording begins.

All videos end after the OICI when the subject retreats inside the residence and the scene becomes a tactical situation.

DISPATCHED DETAILS: 

Regarding this incident, officers with the Salt Lake City Police Department were initially dispatched to a Priority 2 – “Agency Assist” for the Salt Lake City Fire Department at 1423 South Utahna Drive.

A timeline from the SLC911 dispatch log is being released. All times are Mountain Time.

• 08:03 PM – First 9-1-1 call received.
  • The first 9-1-1 call is from a neighbor named “Paul” who reported to SLC911 that his neighbor was starting his yard and fence on fire. The caller further reported he was spraying his fence down.

• 08:08 PM – Salt Lake City Fire requested an agency assist from Salt Lake City Police.

• 08:11 PM – Salt Lake City Fire requested Salt Lake City Police expedite its response for an “aggressive male” who “threatened to shoot” firefighters.

• 08:11 PM – SLCPD officers are dispatched and start their response to the scene.

·         08:19 PM – The first SLCPD unit arrived on scene, consisting of two officers.

• 08:29 PM – SLCPD officers on scene requested more officers to respond.

• 08:40 PM – Officers gave verbal commands for the subject to exit.

• 08:47 PM – The subject had not complied with officers.

• 08:52 PM – Officers in the back of the house advised other officers and dispatchers, using their police radios, and as heard on body-worn camera video, that the subject exited the home with a gun.
  • Shots fired called over the police radio.
  • The officers in the back of the house provided an update on the police radio that the subject went back inside the house.
  • Gold Cross was requested to respond and stayed a safe distance away until the scene is stabilized.

• 08:55 PM – Second 9-1-1 call received.
  • The second 9-1-1 call was after shots were fired. The caller told dispatch that she heard gunshots near her location.

• 08:59 PM – Officers on scene provided an update over the police radio that the fire was growing.

• 09:10 PM – Officers provided a further update over the police radio that the fire had spread to the side of the subject’s home.
  • A separate team of officers engaged in conversations with the subject to try and talk him out of the home.

• 09:16 PM – Officers moved into the home to extract the subject.
  • Medical aid is performed by officers.

• 09:18 PM – Officers advised, using their police radios, they’re exiting the home with the subject so he can get additional medical attention.

• 09:19 PM – Officers reported over the police radio that the house was secured.

• 10:09 PM – OICI Protocol initiated.

OFFICER ACTIONS: 

The first two officers on scene are riding in the same marked SLCPD patrol car.

Upon their arrival, they exited their marked patrol SUV and approached personnel with the Salt Lake City Fire Department. The firefighters told the officers that the homeowner “has a shotgun” and that the homeowner previously threatened to shoot the firefighters.

The initial two officers provided a situational update to dispatch and other officers.

As additional officers arrived, officers on scene made verbal announcements for the subject to come out of the home.

An officer in the back of the house stated on body-worn camera video that he saw the subject’s dog come outside. Immediately following, he verbalized on body-worn camera that he saw the back door open. The body-worn camera video captured an officer yelling “let me see your hands” and “drop the gun.” An officer verbalized on body-worn camera that the subject had a “shotgun.”

Shots were fired by two SLCPD officers.

The subject retreated into his house.

Additional officers from across the city responded.

Eventually, a team of officers entered the home to extract the subject and provided first aid.

Officers escorted the subject to paramedics for additional treatment. Paramedics transported the subject to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The scene was secured, and the officer-involved-critical-incident protocol started.

LINKS TO PERTINENT INFORMATION:

• Salt Lake City Police Department Use of Force Policy

• Salt Lake City Police Department Body-Worn Camera Policy

No further information on this case is being released. Neither the PIO nor the On-Duty Watch Commander are available for interviews.

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