Updated 8:15 a.m. MDT 2/10/2021
More than a dozen portraits of people who were killed by police have been painted on a building in Salt Lake City following the deaths of George Floyd in Minneapolis and Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal in Salt Lake City.
The art, installed by a group of about 20 unnamed artists, is part of a larger, ongoing movement in which thousands of people have marched in the streets across Utah to protest police brutality and racial injustice.
Allen Nelson
Date of incident
June 9, 2012
What happened?
Allen Nelson, 43, died in the process of arrest. His family alleges a taser was used on his chest and sent him into cardiac arrest but police denied this happened. The family sued Salt Lake City Police for wrongful death.
Officers involved
Unnamed
Final decision
Unknown. A representative from Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill’s office said the incident occurred before state laws required officer-involved critical incidents to be independently reviewed. A spokesman for the Salt Lake City Police Department said their records show that Nelson was experiencing “excited delirium” and likely died of related causes.
Dillon Taylor
Date of incident
August 11, 2014
What happened?
Dillon Taylor, 20, was shot by police outside of a 7-Eleven in downtown Salt Lake City. Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill’s report said Salt Lake City Police Officer Bron Cruz responded to a call about a gun threat.
Body cam footage shows Taylor walking away, with headphones in, before turning to face officers. That’s when Cruz shot him twice in the chest. Officers handcuffed him while he was on the ground and did not perform CPR. They can be heard on video saying he’s unconscious and not breathing.
Officers Involved:
Officer Bron Cruz, Officer Uppsen Downs, Officer Andrew Sylleloglu
Final decision:
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill ruled Cruz’s actions justified.
Darrien Hunt
Date of incident
Sept. 10, 2014
What happened?
Darrien Hunt was shot and killed in Saratoga Springs. Hunt was walking with a decorative samurai sword as part of his cosplay. Officers were called and they said he lunged at them. Video from nearby businesses shows Hunt running away and officers chasing him. He was shot six times, with all shots entering his body from behind.
Officers Involved
Corporal Matthew Schauerhamer, Officer Nicholas Judson
Final decision
Utah County Attorney Jeffrey Buhman ruled the officers’ actions justified. The city settled with Hunt’s family for $900,000.
James Barker
Date of incident
Jan. 8, 2015
What happened?
James Barker was knocking on doors in Salt Lake City, asking people if they needed their sidewalks shoveled. Salt Lake City Police Officer Matthew Taylor responded to a call about a suspicious person. The caller said Barker matched a description of a person who had been looking in car windows earlier that week.
Body cam footage shows Taylor asking Barker for his name and what he was doing. Barker refused to tell him before yelling at Taylor saying he had a business. Taylor told him to calm down but Barker then swung his shovel at Taylor and the body cam footage cuts off. The district attorney’s report says the shovel knocked the battery out of the camera.
Taylor said Barker continued to attack him, knocking his Taser out of his hand. He said Barker grabbed his gun holster. Taylor pushed Barker off of him before shooting him three times. He handcuffed Barker, and medics declared him dead at the scene.
Officers involved
Officer Matthew Taylor
Final decision
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill ruled Taylor’s actions were justified.
Patrick Harmon
Date of incident
Aug. 13, 2017
What happened?
Patrick Harmon, 50, was riding his bike down State Street in Salt Lake City. He crossed six lanes of traffic, and Salt Lake City police officers pulled him over for not having a light on the back of his bike.
A warrant for Harmon’s arrest came up, and officers tried to arrest him. Harmon was shot as he was running away. Officers said he had turned and threatened them with a knife. Officer Clinton Fox fired at Harmon three times, and in body cam footage he can can be heard saying “I’ll f***** shoot you.”
Police handcuffed Harmon and administered first aid, but he died at the scene.
Officers involved
Officer Clinton Fox, Officer Kris Smith, Officer Scott Robinson
Final decision
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill ruled Fox’s actions were justified. Gill then asked the FBI to review the case.
Michael Glad
Date of incident
May 28, 2018
What happened?
West Jordan Police Officers Steve Hutchings, Josh Whitehead and Tyrell Shepherd responded to a call about an armed robbery at a 7-Eleven.
That’s where they encountered Michael Glad, 23, and told him to stop walking. Glad pulled out a gun, and Hutchings ordered him to put it down multiple times. Glad then got into Hutchings’ police truck and started driving away.
Officers Whitehead and Shepherd fired their guns at the truck, killing Glad.They later determined Glad’s weapon was a pellet gun.
Officers involved
Officer J. Whitehead, Officer T. Shepherd, Officer Hutchings
Final decision
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill declined to charge Officers Whitehead and Shepherd. Neither officer gave statements to Gill for the investigation.
Zane James
Date of incident
May 29, 2018
What happened?
Cottonwood Heights Police Officer Casey Davies shot Zane James twice from behind, in the leg and shoulder. James, 19, died from his injuries two days later.
James was suspected of committing two armed robberies that morning. Davies was on his way to work and hadn’t yet picked up his body cam. Davies pursued James, who crashed his motorcycle and ran. After Davies shot James, additional officers wearing body cams showed up. An officer can be heard saying James had been reaching for something before he was shot. Police gave James medical attention before he was taken to a hospital, where he died May 31.
Officers involved
Officer Casey Davies
Final decision
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill ruled Davies’ actions justified. Davies chose not to provide Gill with a statement for the investigation.
Cody Belgard
Date of incident
Nov. 9, 2018
What happened?
Cody Belgard, 30, fled from police in a suspicious vehicle in Salt Lake City. When officers caught him later, he was standing in a yard outside a home, and police ordered him to get to the ground. Belgard pulled out an object from his waistband that police thought was a gun. In body cam footage, officers can be heard saying “he’s got a gun” and “he’s pointing.”
Police fired about 10 shots, with two of them striking Belgard. Officers later found out the object was a cell phone.
Officers involved
Detective William Chow, Officer Stephen Masters, Officer Ryan Sanders, Officer Wilson Silva, Officer Brian Sorenson
Final decision
All five officers were cleared and legally justified in using deadly force.
Cindreia Europe
Date of incident
March 5, 2019
What happened?
Cindreia Europe, 23, was lying on the ground at night in a parking lot. Somebody called the police, and the dispatcher informed officers that Europe was wearing dark clothes and may be hard to see, so proceed with caution.
A lawsuit filed said Salt Lake Unified Police Department Officer Megan Franklin disregarded those orders and entered the parking lot at an “unreasonable speed.” Franklin ran over Europe, dragging her about 45 feet, and then ran over her again according to the lawsuit filed by Europe’s family. Franklin also had a history of driving violations.
Officers involved
Officer Megan Franklin
Final decision
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill ruled Franklin would not face any criminal charges.
Chad Breinholt
Date of incident
Aug. 23, 2019
What happened?
Chad Breinholt, 31, was in police custody and restrained in a chair after being arrested for a DUI. While in custody, Breinholt removed his shoe and said he had a gun in it.
Officers pulled him out of the chair and a struggle ensued during which Breinholt grabbed a police weapon. In body cam footage, one officer can be heard saying “you’re about to die, my friend” before Breinholt was shot at close range in the chest, while still handcuffed.
Officers involved
Unnamed
Final decision
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill is still investigating the case.
Bobby Duckworth
Date of incident
Sept. 10, 2019
What happened?
Bobby Duckworth, 26, was in a field near train tracks in Wellington while talking to Officer Garrett Safely. Safely was responding to a report of a suicidal individual.
Duckworth brandished a knife and began to run toward the officer. Safely pleaded with him to drop the knife and said, “I don’t want to shoot you.” As Duckworth charged, the officer initially retreated before firing six shots.
Officers involved
Officer Garrett Safely
Final decision
Carbon County Attorney Jeremiah Humes ruled Safely’s use of deadly force justified.
Bryan Pena Valencia
Date of incident
March 21, 2020
What happened?
Unified police were responding to a call of “shots fired” in Taylorsville. Officers attempted to make a traffic stop after they said Bryan Pena Valencia’s car seemed suspicious. Valencia, 28, fled first in his vehicle and then on foot. Officers chased him and during a struggle he was shot and killed.
About 1,200 people have signed a petition asking for the body cam footage to be released.
Officers involved
Unnamed
Final decision
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill is still investigating the case.
George Floyd
Date of incident
May 25, 2020
What happened?
Police in Minneapolis were responding to an alleged fraud attempt at a convenience store. That’s where they encountered George Floyd and placed him in handcuffs. Officers said Floyd resisted arrest.
A viral video of the incident shows Officer Derek Chauvin with his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes, as he pleads “I can’t breathe.” Other officers who were on the scene stood by and did nothing.
Officers Involved
Officer Derek Chauvin, Officer Tou Thao, Officer J. Alexander Kueng, Officer Thomas Lane
Final decision
Chauvin is awaiting trial for second and third degree murder and manslaughter. The other officers have been charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder, while committing a felony and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter with culpable negligence.
Bernardo Palacios Carabajal
Date of incident
May 23, 2020
What happened?
Bernardo Palacios-Carbajal, 22, was killed in Salt Lake City after police responded to a call about an “armed man.” When officers arrived on scene, Palacios-Carbajal fled on foot. Officers chased him to a nearby parking lot ordering him to get on the ground and show his hands.
Carbajal was shot in the back after police fired 34 shots.
Officers Involved
Officer Neil Iversen, Officer Kevin Fortuna
Final decision
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill ruled July 9 the officers' use of deadly force was justified.
Danielle Willard
Date of incident
Nov. 2, 2012
What happened?
Danielle Willard, 21, was in her car in an apartment parking lot where West Valley City Police Detectives Shaun Cowley and Kevin Salmon were conducting an undercover drug investigation. Cowley and Salmon said it appeared Willard and a man from the apartment were involved in a drug deal in Willard’s car.
When the man left, Cowley and Salmon said they saw Willard put something in her mouth. They approached her car and told her to open the door and spit out the substance. She didn’t, and they pointed their guns at her. Willard reversed her car, and the detectives said they thought she was trying to run them over. Cowley shot at Willard twice, with one of the bullets hitting her in the head and killing her. Salmon fired four times, with one bullet grazing her chin.
Officers involved
Detective Shaun Cowley, Detective Kevin Salmon
Final decision
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill ruled neither Cowley nor Salmon were justified in their actions. Gill then filed a manslaughter charge against Cowley, but a judge dismissed it for lack of evidence. Willard’s family sued West Valley and settled the case for $1.425 million.
Siale Angilau
Date of incident
April 21, 2014
What happened?
A U.S. marshal shot and killed Siale Angilau, 25, at a federal courthouse in Salt Lake City. Video, released four years later, shows Angilau grabbing an object from a desk and rushing a witness who was testifying against him. The marshal shot Angilau four times. Officers can be heard ordering Angilau to drop the pen he took before charging the witness stand. He later died from his injuries.
The FBI later determined that a judge’s decision not to shackle Angilau contributed to his death.
Officers involved
Unknown
Final decision
The U.S. Justice Department ruled the marshal’s actions justified. Angilau’s family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit, but a judge dismissed it.
Joey Tucker
Date of incident
Aug. 6, 2009
What happened?
Joey Tucker, 30, was diabetic. His family called Salt Lake City Police for a medical situation. They said Tucker took sleeping pills instead of his proper medication in a possible suicide attempt.
Shortly after, Tucker was involved in two hit-and-run car accidents. Salt Lake Police and Utah Highway Patrol officers pursued him as he led them on a low-speed highway chase. Police stopped the car and officers got out to arrest Tucker. That’s when police said he tried to hit the officers with his car. Salt Lake City Police Officer Louis Jones shot at Tucker three times, killing him.
Officers involved
Officer Louis Jones
Final decision
Then Salt Lake County District Attorney Lohra Miller ruled Officer Jones’ actions justified. Tucker’s family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the Salt Lake City Police Department. They settled for $100,000.
Elijah Smith
Date of incident
April 8, 2018
What happened?
Elijah Smith, 20, was running from West Valley Police, who suspected him of stealing from a phone store. Officers Nicholaus Green, George Martinez and Phillip Wright pursued Smith, who ran into the garage of someone’s home.
The officers found Smith hiding in the garage. They told him multiple times to put his hands up. Body cam footage shows Smith raising one arm above his head while reaching for something in his pocket with his other arm, which was later determined to be a screwdriver. Martinez tased Smith, and Green shot him three times, killing him.
Officers involved
Officers Nicholaus Green, George Martinez, Phillip Wright
Final decision
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill declined to charge Officer Green. Although he didn’t provide a statement to the district attorney for the investigation, Gill said Green could have reasonably proven in court he was justified in his actions.
Jovany Mercado-Bedolla
Date of incident
Aug. 16, 2019
What happened?
Four police officers shot and killed Jovany Mercado-Bedolla at his parents’ home in Ogden.
Police responded to a call about a man with a knife looking into cars in the area. Body cam footage shows the officers ordered Mercado-Bedolla to drop his knife as he walked toward them from his parents’ car port.
The officers fired 20 shots at Mercado-Bedolla, and 16 hit him. He died at the scene.
Officers involved
Brandon Sevenski, Nigil Bailey, Karson Garcia and John Poulsen
Final decision
Weber County Attorney Chris Allred ruled all four officers were justified in their actions. Mercado-Bedolla’s family has filed a civil rights lawsuit against the officers and Ogden City. They say the officers violated his second amendment rights when they told him to drop his knife while on his own property.
Troy Burkinshaw
Date of incident
Oct. 26, 2012
What happened?
Box Elder County Sheriff’s Deputy Austin Bowcutt shot and killed Troy Burkinshaw, 52, as he tried to drive past Bowcutt near a dead end.
Bowcutt stopped Burkinshaw after he was found urinating on the side of the road. Burkinshaw was intoxicated and got back in his car during the traffic stop, leading the deputy on a low-speed chase onto a dead-end road. Bowcutt got out of his car, and Burkinshaw tried to drive away, which is when the deputy fired three shots into the car. Two of the shots hit Burkinshaw in the chest, killing him.
Officers involved
Box Elder County Sheriff’s Deputy Austin Bowcutt
Final decision
Box Elder County Attorney Stephen Hadfield ruled Bowcutt’s actions justified. The family then filed a wrongful-death lawsuit. The 10th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the suit, concluding it was reasonable for Bowcutt to have feared for his life.
Riche Santiago
Date of incident
Aug. 5, 2019
What happened?
Salt Lake City Police Officers Wilson Silva and Lucas Johnson shot and killed Riche Santiago, 29, after he pulled a gun out of a backpack.
Silva and Johnson were responding to a 911 hang-up, when they saw a car with multiple people in what appeared to be a drug deal. An eight-year-old child was also in the car. The officers ran the license plate and found the vehicle had no insurance and had been involved in a recent shooting.
Santiago was in the back seat and he asked to step out to smoke a cigarette. Officers told him no, before later placing him under arrest due to outstanding warrants. When the officers tried to take him to the patrol car, Santiago resisted, reached into a backpack and grabbed a gun. Silva and Johnson said they heard a gunshot and shot Santiago. He died at the scene.
Officers involved
Officer Wilson Silva and Officer Lucas Johnson
Final decision
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill ruled both officers justified in their actions.
AJ Preece
Date of incident
July 25, 2020
What happened?
Salt Lake City Police officers were dispatched to a call about two men fighting by the Smith’s grocery store in downtown Salt Lake. One man, 34-year-old Andrew Jacob Preece, had a knife. The officers’ body cam footage shows Preece holding the knife to the throat of the other man, making it a hostage situation. Officers shout at Preece to drop the knife. He doesn’t, and officers fire what sounds like nine or 10 shots. Preece died at the scene.
Officers involved
Unknown
Final decision
Still under investigation
Breonna Taylor
Date of incident
March 13, 2020
What happened?
Louisville, Kentucky police officers were executing a warrant at the apartment of Breonna Taylor, 26, in the middle of the night. It’s been reported as a no-knock search but the state’s attorney general said officers did announce their presence.
Thinking someone was breaking into the apartment, Taylor’s boyfriend fired his gun. Sgt. Johnathan Mattingly and Officer Myles Cosgrove returned fire with 32 bullets entering the apartment and multiple bullets hitting Taylor.
Detective Brett Hankison was outside the building and shot 10 rounds into Taylor’s and neighboring apartments.
Taylor didn’t receive medical attention after the officers shot her, and she died at the scene.
Officers involved
Detective Brett Hankison, Sgt. Johnathan Mattingly, Officer Myles Cosgrove
Final decision
A jury indicted Hankison on three counts of wanton endangerment, which is a class D felony in Kentucky. None of the other officers involved were charged. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron said Mattingly and Cosgrove announced themselves before entering Taylor’s apartment and were justified in using force to protect themselves.
Prior to the decision, Hankison was fired from the Louisville Police Department, and the city of Louisville paid Taylor’s family $12 million to settle a wrongful death lawsuit.
Hussein Al-Rekabi
Date of incident
Jan. 24, 2009
What happened?
Police shot and killed Hussein Al-Rekabi, 19, outside a nightclub in Salt Lake City.
According to police, Al-Rekabi fired a gun into a crowd. Two people were injured in the shooting. An officer ordered him to stop, and he ran away, got into his car and drove toward the officer. The officer fired six shots into the car, and Al-Rekabi crashed into a pole. He died at the scene.
Officers involved
Unknown
Final decision
Then Salt Lake County District Attorney Lohra Miller ruled the officers’ actions justified.
Nicolas Sanchez
Date of incident
Feb. 21, 2017
What happened?
Roy police officers shot and killed Nicolas Sanchez, 38, outside a convenience store.
Two officers were responding to a call about a man loitering at a gas station. The body cam footage shows the officers asked Sanchez to come over and talk to them. He then asked what they wanted and one officer responded he can walk over to them or be arrested on the spot.
The police noticed a gun in his waistband and told him not to touch it. When they moved toward him, Sanchez turned to run and was tackled by one of the officers. The other officer fired his gun around a dozen times. Investigators also determined one officer grabbed Sanchez’s gun and shot him as they were wrestling with him.
The whole incident lasted less than three minutes.
Officers involved
Unknown
Final decision
Weber County Attorney Chris Allred ruled the officers’ actions justified. Sanchez’s family filed an excessive force lawsuit against the Roy Police Department.
Harold Robinson
Date of incident
April 8, 2019
What happened?
Police officers shot and killed Harold Robinson, 37, after a car chase through Salt Lake City.
Police pursued Robinson after he allegedly robbed two convenience stores, fired a gun at a hotel and was driving around randomly shooting his weapon out the window.
An officer rammed Robinson’s truck to stop it, causing him to crash into a nearby business. Fifteen officers from three law enforcement agencies fired around 200 shots at Robinson, killing him.
Robinson’s family said he had suffered from mental illness, including paranoia and delusions, and had recently been discharged from a psychiatric hospital.
Officers involved
Salt Lake City Police Officers Brandon Lynch, Bryce Cantwell, Darren Mackay, Colin Fugit, Ben Nielsen, Chris Howell, Richard Stone, Metui Tautua’a, Brandon Johnson, and Ammon Mauga; Utah Highway Patrol Troopers Jed Miller, Jon Thompson and Sgt. Chris Shelby; and Unified Police Department Detectives Chris Sullivan and Scott Lloyd
Final decision
Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill ruled the officers justified in their actions. This year, Thaer Mahdi, the owner of the business that Robinson crashed into, sued the Salt Lake City Police Department, Unified Police Department and Utah Highway Patrol for shooting into his store. Mahdi wasn’t hit by any bullets but said he suffered trauma as a result.
