Police cleared in use of deadly force
Probe to be released today; Legislature to hail officers
Salt Lake District Attorney Lohra Miller and Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank are holding a joint press conference today to discuss the officers' actions, which sources close to the probe told the Deseret Morning News will be deemed appropriate under policy and statutory requirements.
Meanwhile, all five officers involved in Monday's shootout — off-duty Ogden police officer Ken Hammond and the four from Salt Lake — are to be honored today by Utah lawmakers at the State Capitol for their heroism.
The officers have been on administrative leave since the shooting, pending the results of internal investigations and policy reviews of their actions. The investigations are standard for any officer involved shooting.
Among the first on the scene, the four Salt Lake officers ran into the building and helped end the carnage. The Salt Lake City Police Department has identified the four as:
• Sgt. Andy Oblad, a patrol sergeant and 10-year veteran of the force.
• Detective Dustin Marshall, a gang detective and member of the SWAT team who has been with SLCPD for nine years.
• Detective Brett Olsen, a gang unit detective and six-year veteran who also serves on the SWAT team.
"We are very proud of them," Salt Lake City police detective Robin Snyder said Thursday.
When Sulejman Talovic entered the mall and began killing, police said he encountered Hammond, who was on a dinner date with his wife. Talovic and Hammond exchanged gunfire before Hammond, who was on the second level of the mall, lost sight of the shooter.
"That's when I noticed a uniformed Salt Lake City police officer standing on the lower level about equal with me," he recalled. "It was kind of tense for a few seconds because I was standing up there with a gun in my hand."
He convinced the officer that he was not a threat. Hammond ran down the escalators to meet the officer — and the gunman.
"At that point I kind of fanned off to the left, where I did take shots at the suspect," Hammond said.
A burst of gunfire and the officers had shot and killed Talovic. They are being hailed as heroes for stopping the rampage.
Three of the Salt Lake officers train other lawmen on special tactics and how to enter buildings when there is a shooting, police said.
"They're very well respected within the department," Snyder said. "They're known for their tactics."
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