Deseret Morning News
SALT LAKE CITY — A police officer who fired a single round in a standoff with an FBI source, which ended in a suicide, has been cleared of any criminal wrongdoing.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office issued a letter Friday to the Unified Police Department stating that it had reached the decision after “an extensive investigation and review of the facts and evidence.”
A medical examiner reported that Ted Gardiner died March 1 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head, the DA’s office reported. The shot fired by the Unified police officer did not hit Gardiner.
Gardiner was a crucial government witness in cases alleging the theft and selling of Utah Indian artifacts from federal and protected lands.
Gardiner’s family said he went to the government voluntarily, but that the work wore on him, especially after two defendants in the govenment’s case took their own lives. They also reported that Gardiner, a former CEO of Dan’s Foods, had a history of mental illness and substance abuse that was aggravated by his involvement in the artifacts sting, which ultimately netted 26 people, many of them who Gardiner knew as fellow collectors.
Police officers were called to Gardiner’s home near 1700 East and 5000 South on Feb. 27 and again on March 1 on reports of a suicidal male. No shots were fired during the first incident, but police did take a gun out of the home and transported Gardiner to the hospital as a precaution.
During the second incident, Gardiner reportedly talked to some of his roommates while holding a gun, went into a bedroom and fired a shot, police said. The roommates immediately left and called 911.
When officers entered the house, police say Gardiner failed to comply with their verbal commands. As one officer entered the room, Gardiner pointed a gun at the officer, who then moved backward, firing a single round at him, the DA’s office concluded. The bullet did not hit Gardiner, the DA
said.Officers later heard another gunshot. SWAT officers subsequently arrived, entered the room and found Gardiner dead.
The officer, whose name has not been released, was justified in firing the weapon because he or she reasonably believed lives were in danger when Gardiner pointed the weapon, the DA’s investigation concluded.
Copyright 2010 Deseret Morn