At police headquarters, Linda Proud said she saw the woman who was held hostage and described her as "unflappable."

"She was just sitting there like it was no big deal, like nothing fazed her," she said.

At the scene, a woman claiming to be the gunman's wife arrived and demanded that officers let her see the man's body.

"I need to see him. I need to see him," the woman cried hysterically.

After police said they had not identified the man, she got into a waiting car and drove away. More than an hour later, the medical examiner removed Sickler's body from the apartment.

Salt Lake City police did not provide information on the status of the officer who shot Sickler. Typically, officers are placed on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated.

Sickler was listed on the Utah State Sex Offender Registry. The publicly accessible Web site lists a pair of aggravated sexual assault convictions dating back to 1982. It said his target was a "female adult." No other information was available about Sickler Friday night.

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E-mail: dramsay@desnews.com

Contributing: Ben Winslow