A 34-year-old man shot and killed by Salt Lake City police in late July had held a knife to another man’s neck before officers opened fire, according to body camera footage released Friday.
Two officers shot at Andrew Jacob Preece on July 25 after a worker at the Smith’s Food and Drug at 455 S. 500 East called 911 at 9:20 a.m. to report that two men had taken an umbrella from the store and were now fighting in the parking lot.
“We kicked them out of the store as soon as possible,” the caller told police, according to a recording. “But they’re just — they can’t even walk straight.”
Bodycam released Friday shows one officer initially encountered Preece and another man as they walked on the sidewalk near the grocery store on 500 South. Preece had his hand on the other man’s shoulder, who is walking in front of him, and he’s leaning on the other man as they walk. Preece has a long knife in his other hand.
“Drop the knife!” the officer yelled.
The officer then threatened to tase Preece, and again yelled for him to stop. That’s when Preece pulled the man closer to him and put the knife to his throat.
“He’s got a hostage!” the officer said over the radio.
A second officer then approached and yelled again for Preece to put the knife down.
“It’s not worth it!” she yelled, her gun pointed at Preece.
She then fired a shot at Preece, but he continued holding the other man near his body. Both officers then fired at Preece until he fell to the ground.
“What the f--- dude?” the other man yelled, as he walked away from where Preece had fallen.
Police rendered first aid, but Preece was declared dead by medical personnel just over 10 minutes later.
The two officers fired nine or 10 shots total, according to the footage.
Police officials said Friday that both of the officers are on administrative leave until an internal review and a use-of-force review from the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office is complete.
The video of the shooting was released Friday as part of the Salt Lake City’s policy that body camera video be released within 10 business days of a police shooting. Police officials emphasized Friday that an investigation was still ongoing.
