SALT LAKE CITY — Two officers with the Salt Lake City Police Department are on paid administrative leave following the death of a 50-year-old man on Thursday.
The incident is now under investigation and SLCPD have invoked the officer-involved-critical-incident protocol. These are the details that police have released to the public.
According to police, at 4:59 p.m. on Thursday, they were called about a man who was allegedly naked, disoriented, and going through trash near the intersection of 800
South and 700 East. While officers were en route, another 9-1-1 caller informed first responders that the man was shaking.
Due to the information available from community members, social workers with the Salt Lake City Police Department also responded to the scene.
Police say they found the man in a conscious and breathing but not alert state. Police say the man appeared very thin, weak, and malnourished. Police would also request the Salt Lake City Fire Department and Gold Cross Ambulance to respond for a psychological evaluation and medical treatment.
While officers waited for the fire department and ambulance to arrive, police say the man repeatedly tried to stand despite instructions to remain seated. Officers would handcuff the man shortly before paramedics arrived.
Gold Cross Ambulance would take the man to the hospital with SLCPD and social workers following in separate vehicles. First responders say the man's condition worsened during the drive to the hospital and he would pass away once there. His official cause of death has yet to be determined by the medical examiner.
“I’m proud of how our officers handled this incident,” Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown said. “They approached this tragic situation with compassion and took steps to help by providing the man with clothing and blankets to warm him up while they waited for paramedics.”
Salt Lake City Police say that their current investigation suggests that no SLCPD officer used deadly force and that no officers on scene fought, or used physical force with the man during their interactions.
The two officers who did interact with the victim have been placed on paid administrative leave which is standard procedure. West Jordan Police are leading the investigation into the death.
