TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — One man is in critical condition after being shot by police late Friday night in Taylorsville.
According to Taylorsville City officials, officers and emergency responders were dispatched to a home in the area of 4400 South and 2200 West around 11 p.m. after a homeowner told dispatchers about a 35-year-old man experiencing a mental health crisis.
Upon arrival, they were told by the caller that the man had a number of self-inflicted wounds and suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and "possibly schizophrenia."
“He was inside the house, he was destroying property, and he was also causing some self-inflicted wounds to himself," said Lt. Aaron Cheshire with Taylorsville Police.
They were then directed to the area of the home where the man was last seen, whereupon the man allegedly confronted them, threatening them with a pair of scissors and a large knife.
Officers attempted to use non-lethal tools, but the altercation later escalated to the use of firearms by two of the five officers present at the scene. It's not known how many rounds were fired.
“A lot of times, people in crisis are unpredictable and that's why we have less lethal options and things like that, that can hopefully help with that sort of thing," Cheshire said. "But they're unpredictable; that's the hard part about it. None of them are the same.”
The man was transported to an area hospital in critical condition. The incident is now being investigated by the Salt Lake County Officer Involved Critical Incident Task Force in conjunction with the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office.
The man was later identified as Alex Boren. As of Saturday afternoon, he was still in critical condition.
Cheshire said two of the five responding officers are on administrative leave as part of the protocol.
“It was shocking because I didn’t expect anything like that to happen in this neighborhood," said Miguel Hernandez, who lives nearby. “It seems unfortunate that that had to happen, but I hope there’s something to learn from it... like something that could happen better so we don’t have to get these bad outcomes.”
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For those struggling with thoughts of suicide, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline can now be reached by simply dialing 988 any time for free support. Resources are also available online at utahsuicideprevention.org.
