CACHE COUNTY, Utah -- A man on a mission and armed with two handguns: That mid-May morning could have ended very differently, but the Cache County Attorney is commending everyone involved in how this potentially deadly situation was diffused.
It all started around 8 a.m. on May 16. Surveillance video shows Jason Burr walking into the Cache Valley Hospital ER waiting room.
Seconds later, the receptionist bolts from her desk, getting away from the glass window separating her from Burr. Shortly after that, the hospital security guard runs for better cover as well. You can hear the security guard, with his gun drawn, yelling, “What do you want?”
Burr was demanding to see his doctor. When he was told the doctor wasn’t available, you can see Burr stepping back and getting his handgun. For several minutes, Burr can be seen pacing the waiting room.
During this time, he can be heard swearing, asking the security guard if he has a bullet proof vest on, and announcing that “someone is going to die today.”
It just so happened that two Adult Probation and Parole agents were in the ER guarding another patient, and they jumped into action. The surveillance video shows Agent Clint Lund entering the waiting room, shouting for Burr to drop his guns, then firing four shots after Burr turned around and pointed his weapons at Agent Lund.
Burr was hit three times and was treated for his wounds immediately. North Park Police Chief Kim Hawkes said a number of things fell in their favor that morning, and he said he’s grateful no one else was hurt.
“We are grateful for the fact that there was no one else was in the waiting room that morning, that there was the security guard that was there that pulled the clerk back away, and that the AP&P officers were there and able to respond in that circumstance,” Hawkes said.
Burr was flown to a Salt Lake City hospital and has since recovered from his gunshot wounds. He is in the Cache County Jail now and is facing four counts of aggravated robbery as well as charges including aggravated assault, possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, and carrying a concealed weapon.
