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One dead, three in custody after police shooting in SLC

Posted at 4:36 PM, Mar 19, 2013
and last updated 2013-03-19 18:50:09-04

SALT LAKE CITY – One man is dead and three others arrested after a hunt for fugitives turns into an officer-involved shooting, then a standoff on Tuesday.

It happened just after 4 p.m. Tuesday at 1149 South Foulger Avenue in Salt Lake City.

The U.S. Marshal's Joint Criminal Apprehension Team, or JCAT, was searching for a parole fugitive, a man previously busted for armed robbery.

Salt Lake City police say as JCAT tried to arrest the suspect, someone on the front lawn opened fire on the officers.

"The first individual who confronted the JCAT officers was not the parole fugitive we were looking for," said Salt Lake Sgt. Shawn Josephsen.

A local videographer captured exclusive video from the rooftop of a nearby business.

"We heard the gunshots and then I quickly grabbed the camera,: said witness Jonathan Perry.

The video shows an unresponsive man lying on the grass, then a police dog bites him.

"The canine took hold of the man and dragged him out away, I think out of the line of fire," said Perry.

Police say they're not sure why the man opened fire. Paramedics rushed him to the hospital where he later died.

Meanwhile, back on Foulger Ave., cops still had their guns drawn. A parole fugitive and two other suspects refused to come out of the home. Police evacuated parents and children from nearby homes, then brought in an armored truck and used a bullhorn to talk the other suspects out. It worked. They gave up without a fight and no one else was hurt.

"In the big scheme we were very lucky in this situation that no other incident bystanders were struck," said Sgt. Josephson.

Salt Lake detectives haven't identified the man who was killed or any of the suspects. The parole fugitive who was caught could face an obstruction of justice charge. As of Tuesday night, police were still interviewing the other suspects before booking them into Salt Lake County Jail.