Burbank said it may be a couple of weeks before his men return to duty, but that may be a good thing for them. Even though the officers involved have been hailed as heroes, that's not exactly how they're feeling right now, Burbank said.

Shooting and killing an 18-year-old man "is a tragic event for any officer," he said. The officers are even feeling remorse for not being able to help the five people who were killed and others who were seriously injured.

"They wanted to help as many people as they could. They're sad they couldn't get there sooner," Burbank said.

Stopping Talovic

It was just seven minutes from the time the first person was shot in the west terrace parking lot to the time the gunman was killed, the district attorney's office said Friday. That time frame is a change of just one minute from what police had reported earlier.

Hammond, who had been enjoying an early Valentine's Day dinner with his wife at Rodizio Grill on the mall's second level, was the first to engage Talovic, even firing his gun at him from the second floor while Talovic was below.

Sarita Hammond, his wife, called 911 and explained to dispatchers that her husband was a police officer, giving them a description of what he was wearing.

"She probably saved his life," said Miller, who noted Hammond could otherwise have been shot by the Salt Lake City police officers.

Other investigators said Oblad, who was the first to have contact with Hammond, also recognized that Hammond did not match the description of the gunman. Furthermore, his actions and demeanor were tips that he was not the killer.

As Hammond joined up with Oblad at the south end of the mall, Scharman, Marshall and Olsen entered from the north, where they heard constant gunfire, Burbank said.

Talovic was firing both a shotgun and a .38-caliber handgun as he made his way through the mall. The district attorney's office believes he used the handgun to fire at officers.

Talovic was facing Hammond and Oblad and became engaged in a gunbattle with them when the three other officers came up from behind. The district attorney's office does not believe Talovic saw the other three coming.

When those three officers told Talovic that they were behind him and that he should drop his weapon, he turned to face them with his gun ready to fire and shouted expletives at the officers.

"He was very aggressive in his demeanor toward police," said Miller.

After Talovic refused to drop his weapon and continued to fire, all five officers returned fire at him. He died just inside Pottery Barn Kids, Miller said.