Drug bust spurs slaying

WEST VALLEY CITY — Fragments of glass littered a West Valley parking lot after an undercover drug deal quickly turned into an officer-involved shooting.

West Valley police said a man was shot and killed at 8:45 p.m. Wednesday after police attempted to arrest him.

Undercover narcotics detectives had arranged to meet the man in a parking lot near 4800 West and 3500 South to purchase a "significant quantity" of drugs. Rather than complete the buy, they planned to arrest the man.

Officers tried to pin the suspect's SUV in between two unmarked police cars, a pickup and a Jeep Cherokee. That's when the shooting began.

"At least one officer saw the suspect raise a firearm and point it at the officer," West Valley Police Capt. T. McLachlan said. "Another officer, seeing that and sensing the danger, then opened fire, striking him."

The man's body was still in the car, behind the driver's seat, as investigators worked late into the night. Investigators were obtaining a search warrant early today for the suspect's SUV to determine for certain if he fired a shot at the officer. "We believe he did but that (the warrant) will determine it accurately," McLachlan said.

"I heard, like, four raps on the window," said Ben Hardy, who was eating with his family inside a nearby Chinese Gourmet restaurant. "I stood up and looked out and I saw the police cars."

West Valley police said the shooting will be under investigation by the Salt Lake District Attorney's Office as well as a pair of internal investigations.

None of the officers involved was injured, McLachlan said.

Narcotics detectives had made several purchases from the man. Asked if he was one of the area's larger drug dealers, McLachlan said, "He consistently had the ability to deliver quantities of narcotics.

"Working drugs is a very dangerous job. You have to be on alert for potential problems or developing problems," McLachlan said.

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com