Police try to answer questions

Taking a proactive approach to a situation that if left unattended could potentially escalate tensions on the west side, Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson invited Eli Herrera to the mayor's office for a meeting Friday afternoon.

Eli's nephew, Caleb Herrera, died last September, the victim of what police ruled was an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head while Caleb was playing with guns at a relative's west-side residence. In the 10 months since, Eli has mounted an aggressive crusade against the police finding, maintaining that evidence he has uncovered shows 14-year-old Caleb was the victim of murder.

After several recent media reports that drew attention to Eli's quest — including a sympathetic profile of the grieving uncle in this column — Anderson contacted Eli and arranged their meeting. The purpose: to let Eli and the rest of the Herrera family know, in no uncertain terms, that the city considers the investigation into the death of Caleb Herrera thorough and the conclusion of accidental death sound — and that Eli's questions surrounding the incident have been investigated, answered and dismissed.

Also at the meeting were assistant police chief Scott Atkinson and Lt. Chris Burbank, who has spent the past several months reviewing the case.

The mayor said he was particularly concerned about public statements made by Eli Herrera that the Herrera family had not had close contact with the city and the police. "There has been a lot of communication with Eli and other members of the family," Anderson said, noting that the case was reopened last January because of Eli's concerns.

The mayor told Eli that he has personally listened to the tape of the 911 call placed just after the gunshot by a 13-year-old friend of Caleb Herrera's.

That tape is one of the chief points of contention between Eli and the official investigation. Eli claims background noise that can be heard on the tape came from people who were on the scene and participated in the murder — a contradiction of police reports that the 13-year-old was the only other person there.

But the police's conclusion — and the mayor's — is that the background noise came from a police officer who arrived while the 911 operator was still talking to the youngster.

The mayor also reminded Eli that the police investigation was thoroughly reviewed by the Salt Lake County District Attorney's criminal investigation unit. A D.A. investigator, Sgt. Charles Oliver, was assigned to specifically deal with Eli's numerous allegations.