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Rob Flygare was shocked to hear that the Sandy neighbor who plowed his driveway and invited him over for barbecues had died while drawing a knife on a police officer.
Flygare's neighbor, 34-year-old Jeffrey R. Nielson, was shot and killed by a West Valley City officer in a Draper neighborhood Wednesday morning. Police say Nielson pulled the knife while struggling with several officer during a drug arrest.
Draper police said they plan to release body camera footage of the episode later this week.
But the deadly confrontation, and Nielson's extensive criminal history, were all a surprise to Flygare. He said Thursday he has lived next door to Nielson for more than four years, sharing a long driveway at the end of a cul-de-sac.
Nielson played soccer with his children in their backyard. He invited Flygare's family over for barbecues, and his grandchildren to play with the family's swing set and trampoline. The two men would talk sports and work in their driveway, which Nielson would clear for them.
"I could not ask for a better neighbor," Flygare said.
But in recent weeks, Nielson had been charged with misdemeanor assault and criminal trespassing, and his wife, Chrissy, filed a protective order against him.
Nielson's life reminds his friend Shaun Kimball of a bell curve.
"Early on in his life he went through a lot of problems and a lot of struggles, and was able to bounce back from that," Kimball said Thursday.
In 2004, Nielson faced dozens of charges. In cases filed in Salt Lake, Davis, Utah and Millard counties, he pleaded guilty to at least 20 felony and misdemeanor counts, including burglary, forgery, identity fraud, theft, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, drug charges and traffic violations, and he agreed to enter a drug treatment center.
Nielson later became an inspirational figure to the young men he worked with — like Kimball, who was Nielson's employee for two years, and his friend for years after that.
"He started at a rough patch, and then he precipiced into this amazing father, businessman and legend of a person," Kimball said. "And then you look at what's happened over the last couple weeks and all that's transpired, and you notice that anything can happen."
The last two weeks of Nielson's life, in which he fell into substance abuse and "was suffering," don't define the man in Kimball's mind. Nielson was selfless, persevering; he "represented strength in every sense of the word," both physically and in terms of building people up and treating them with respect," Kimball said.
Kimball said he looks at his friend's life "as a whole and what he brought to the people around him, and that will never be forgotten."
Nielson had texted Kimball Tuesday afternoon, wanting to talk later. But the phone call, which Kimball expected that night, never came.
On Wednesday morning, Nielson was slumped over the wheel of a black SUV in the Cranberry Hill neighborhood of Draper.
West Valley City detective Jason Vincent, who lives in the area, was on his way to work when he noticed the suspicious vehicle.
Vincent called Draper police for backup, and the three officers found narcotics, police say.
The officers were about to arrest Nielson when he broke free, got back inside the vehicle and drew the knife. Vincent pointed out the weapon, then fired multiple shots.
High-ranking members of both police departments have expressed confidence that the shooting will be found to be justified by the county attorney' office.
In July, Nielson was charged in Sandy Justice Court with misdemeanor assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child. He had pleaded not guilty to both counts. Then in September, he was charged again in Sandy Justice Court with the same charges from another alleged incident, to which he also pleaded not guilty.
Then on Dec. 6, Sandy police say, Nielson went into the apartment of his wife's friend, where his wife was sleeping, ripped the sheets off and pinched her. He was charged in 3rd District Court with misdemeanor counts of assault and criminal trespass, and last month, Nielson's wife filed a protective order against him.
Nielson also had a history of owning call center business coaching services, an industry prone to consumer complaints and regulatory actions.
Such businesses sell consulting services to consumers, many focused on helping people start online businesses. Some charge thousands of dollars for their products. They market their services through telemarketing, the Internet and other media.
In 2008, Nielson formed a Utah company called Six Figure Consulting Inc. with Joshua Lindsay and Nicholas Johnson, according to court documents, where Nielson and Johnson sued Lindsay and he countersued them.
Six Figure Consulting brought in about $12 million in revenue through October 2009, when it shut down as part of a settlement with the Utah Division of Consumer Protection that also required it to refund customers, according to Linsday's countersuit.
Lindsay was charged in 2010 with eight felony counts, six of them for forgery, related to Six Figure Consulting. He pleaded guilty to one charge of providing false information to a law officer, a misdemeanor, and the other charges were dismissed.
In August 2009, the three formed JNJ Consulting Services Inc., the JNJ standing the first letters of their first names. But after Lindsay's arrest he was ousted as CEO of JNJ, according to his lawsuit. Nielson and Johnson's lawsuit characterizes Lindsay as an employee.
JNJ was dissolved in June of 2010 and a new company, NJ Corp. was formed in Montana that same month with Johnson as president. Nielson's role was not specified in court papers.
Nielson and Johnson sued Lindsay because, they alleged, he was claiming on complaint boards and to law enforcement officers that the two were engaged in illegal activities in the operation of NJ Corp. and JNJ.
Linsday's countersuit says Nielson and Johnson threatened physical violence on him and his family a number of times. Both were mixed martial arts fighters, the lawsuit says.
The lawsuits remain pending in state court.
Flygare only learned of Nielson's criminal record after the shooting.
"I was shocked," Flygare said, having to reconcile Nielson's past with the man he describes as a "loving, kind father."
Flygare's chief concern now lies with his friend's children, and how they'll move forward from here.
Nielson's Facebook photos show his wife and their three children smiling, as they pose for family portraits. His wife has a pre-teen daughter from a previous relationship, and they had two sons together, ages 6 and 18 months. Another photo Nielson posted only last week — though it must have been taken earlier — shows the family enjoying a Real Salt Lake game.
In another photo, Nielson's wife smiles at the camera from the other side of a beach-side table. He noted on the Facebook page that it was his favorite photo of the woman he called "the love of my life."
Twitter: @mikeypanda