Army finds flaws in handling of AWOL soldier killed in S.L.; family criticizes Army's response

SALT LAKE CITY — A new report from the U.S. Army regarding a heavily armed man killed during a shootout with Salt Lake police last summer finds flaws in some of the Army's procedures for reporting servicemen who go AWOL.

In a letter sent to the Army in response to the report, the family of Army Spec. Brandon Barrett said they also have concerns about how the Army handled the situation, including its failure to warn authorities in Utah that Barrett was headed to the Beehive State.

"The Army had clear documentation that Brandon intended to go to Utah," Shane Barrett, Brandon's brother, said in his letter. "The Salt Lake City Police Department had no idea that there was a possibility Brandon could be in the Salt Lake City area. Officer Downes had no idea what he was going to encounter ..."

Had Utah authorities been given proper notification, the shootout in Salt Lake could have been avoided, he said.

"The Army had a responsibility to protect the citizens of Salt Lake City, including officer Downes, by giving proper and immediate notification to civilian law enforcement," Barrett said in his letter.

Brandon Barrett, who served in the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, was dressed in full combat gear — including body armor issued by his base, a helmet, an assault rifle, two handguns and armed with more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition — when he was shot and killed by Salt Lake police officer Uppsen Downes on Aug. 27, 2010. Downes fired after Barrett shot him first.

Salt Lake police have said in the past that the first time they'd ever heard of Barrett was the day he shot Downes, who was still able to return fire, striking and killing Barrett.

The newly released report from the Army does not give any explanation as to why Barrett was in Utah or what his intentions were. Shortly before he was killed, Barrett had been trying to reach the top of the Grand America Hotel and investigators in Utah believe he was trying to set up a sniper position.

In its report, the Army found Barrett's company "did all that was reasonably possible to save" him.

But the investigation also found the "U.S. Army's process to coordinate for civilian apprehension of a deserter by civilian police is flawed," and the Army failed to properly notify Barrett's family that he had gone AWOL.

On June 26, Barrett arrived at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Wash., after a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan. Within the first 24 hours of arriving, he was arrested for investigation of DUI.