DUCHESNE COUNTY, Utah — One man is in the hospital after he was shot and wounded by an officer with the Utah Department of Natural Resources Tuesday night. The wounded man has been identified by Utah Highway Patrol as 42-year-old Joshua Boggess of West Valley City.
The Duchesne County Sheriff's Office they were made aware of a suspicious person in the county around 8:45 p.m. During that time, another person called in about the same driver swerving all over the roadway. Witnesses also reported that the suspect drove off the roadway and struck an unknown object.
DNR Law Enforcement Chief Todd Royce said an officer stopped the Boggess' vehicle just after 10 p.m. at the Eagles Nest gas station in Duchesne.
What happened next is not yet clear, but the officer ended up shooting the man. The officer and deputies with the sheriff's office administered first aid.
Joshua Boggess was taken to the hospital. Previously, the Duchesne County Sheriff's Office had reported to FOX 13 News that he had died, but later corrected, saying that he is still alive.
The conservation officer who conducted the stop wasn't injured. Per policy, that officer has been placed on administrative leave while the investigation unfolds.
The State Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Natural Resources are now investigating the incident.
Royce said those in his agency are fully certified police officers.
“Law enforcement can be spread thin out there, and we’ve got law enforcement throughout the state," he said. "It’s important that we collaborate and work together. When something tragic like this happens, it’s where the law enforcement community unites.”
He said a bill in the state legislature two years ago created the Division of Law Enforcement within the department. The DNR used to have law enforcement officers throughout four different divisions, but now they are their own division.
The officer involved in the shooting was previously with the Division of Wildlife Resources, doing the same function he is now.
