By Police1 Staff
SALT LAKE CITY — An officer who sustained gunshot wounds in a shooting last year was found dead in his home Saturday.
Officer Jon Richey, 52, suffered three gunshot wounds, including one in the torso, last January while searching for a crash suspect, the Associated Press reported. Cory Lee Henderson fled from Richey and Officer Doug Barney when gunfire erupted. Barney was shot in the head by Henderson and died at the hospital. Henderson died at the scene.
Authorities are still investigating Richey’s death, but told the Salt Lake Tribune there were no indications of foul play.
The Unified Police Department has lost several officers in the past months. Detective Brooks Green died on Jan. 25 after suffering a sudden cardiac event at his home. At the beginning of February, Detective Brian Holdaway died from a medical condition while at work.
“Although we deal with tragic loss as a part of our everyday service, it is obviously more impactful when it is one of our own,” a press release said.
At 19, Richey joined the force and became the youngest officer in Utah, The Friends for Unified Police K9 website said. During his time on the force, he trained and handled six K9s.
He helped launch the K9 program at the Salt Lake City Police Department in 1998. Before he joined the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, now the Unified Police Department, he served as a sergeant, detective and detective sergeant with other departments, the Salt Lake Tribune reported.