By Jasen Lee
Deseret Morning News
MAGNA, Utah — A police involved shooting that ended with the death of a troubled armed teenager has left investigators with far more questions than answers.
The 15-year old was shot by officers who responded to a Sunday morning emergency call from the boy’s mother saying that the teen had left his house clad in a black ski mask and bulletproof vest along with a 45-caliber handgun.
Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder said the alleged shooter was seen by witnesses walking through his western Salt Lake County neighborhood when he eventually confronted officers firing at least two shots.
“The suspect continued to run through the neighborhood — subsequently barricading himself near a vehicle,” Winder said. “There was a confrontation where the suspect fired first — our officers returned fire striking the individual a minimum of four times.”
The teen died from his wounds at the scene. The sheriff called the incident a tragedy because the circumstances surrounding the victim and his emotional well-being left the law enforcement veteran wondering if something could have been done to prevent such a tragic situation from happening.
“The family involved in this has had repeated contact with law enforcement over the past several weeks, if not months,” he said. “Our hearts go out to the family. This is just a bad, bad situation.”
Winder said the teen’s actions lead police to believe he intended “to engage in violent activity,” but to what extent was not known.
He said the boy had taken the weapon from a locked storage site at the family home. The mother tried to stop him, but was unsuccessful — prompting the call to police.
Winder stated that the boy was believed to have made comments to neighbors as he left the house “that he was bent on violence.” Whether the boy wanted to commit “suicide by cop,” however, was purely speculative, Winder said.
“But there is no question that this situation was a violent encounter waiting to happen,” he said.
Copyright 2012 The Deseret News Publishing Co.