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West Jordan officers shoot, kill a man suspected of breaking into cars

The caller who reported the man to police said he was “behaving suspiciously.”

A man who a caller had described as “behaving suspiciously” was shot and killed by West Jordan police early Saturday morning.

Deputy Chief Richard Bell with the West Jordan Police Department said that around 1 a.m. Saturday, the department received a call about a man who was possibly breaking into cars at an apartment complex near 8600 South and Bangerter Highway.

Officers found the man, and during that interaction, the man “produced a firearm, and shots were exchanged between the two officers on scene and the suspect,” Bell said.

Police shot the man. Although the two officers provided aid, which was continued by medical personnel when they arrived, the man succumbed to his injuries and died at the scene, Bell said. No additional details about the man have been released pending notification of family members.

One of the officers was shot in the leg and taken to a hospital, Bell said. That officer has since been released and is recovering at home.

A multijurisdictional team led by West Valley City will be investigating the shooting, Bell said. The two officers involved in the shooting are on leave per policy, he said.

Saturday’s shooting marked the ninth police shooting in Utah so far this year, according to a database maintained by The Salt Lake Tribune. In the eighth shooting, West Valley City police shot a man suspected of DUI.