Suicidal man shot and injured by cop in Salt Lake neighborhood expected to recover

SALT LAKE CITY — A 20-year-old man was hospitalized in critical condition Wednesday after being shot by a Salt Lake police officer in a Central City neighborhood.

Police said Roger Cantu was expected to make a full recovery.

Officers received a call from a relative just after 8:30 a.m. about a suicidal man near 100 South and 620 East. After police arrived, there was a confrontation outside, and the man was shot on the sidewalk, said Salt Lake police detective Pat Wilkinson. The man had not complied with the commands of two officers, he said.

Few other details were released by police Wednesday about the shooting. Wilkinson did say, however, that Cantu did not have a gun. Investigators would not comment on whether he had another weapon.

One resident, who was inside her nearby apartment when the incident occurred, said she heard three shots from what she thought were two different weapons.

"I heard crack, boom, boom," said Amanda Valenzuela, who said she has experience firing guns.

After hearing the first shot, she said, there was a short pause and then the last two shots were fired in succession and sounded as if they came from a higher caliber weapon.

Wilkinson said just one officer fired at Cantu. That officer was placed on standard paid administrative leave pending an investigation by the department and the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office.

Several witnesses said the victim was seen walking with another man through an alley onto the sidewalk, where they were met by police. Valenzuela said she had heard that the second man was trying to prevent the victim from committing suicide.

That man was taken to police headquarters for questioning, along with several other witnesses.

Police tape surrounded a 50- to 70-yard area at the scene of the shooting. Inside the area, a pile of clothes that were cut off of the victim by medical crews could be seen, along with yellow tags with numbers marking potential evidence.

In December, Cantu was charged in 3rd District Court with two counts of misdemeanor drug possession, according to court records. On Feb. 4, a warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to show up for a scheduled court appearance.

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