Trooper off leave after shooting

The Utah Highway Patrol trooper who was placed on administrative leave following the self-inflicted shooting of a 17-year-old boy Sunday is returning to work.

Investigators are still probing several facets of the case, including whether the boy was involved in a possible abduction earlier that night.

Troopers pulled over a truck with six teenagers inside, two boys and four girls, after the vehicle ran a red light at 3900 S. State. As the trooper approached the driver's side, he could smell marijuana and called for backup, investigators said.

As the teens were told to exit, a 17-year-old boy from White City, who was holding a handgun, took off, said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson.

As the trooper grabbed the boy from behind to stop him, he saw a .22-caliber pistol, which was pointed backward at the trooper and the boy's head. At some point, the boy's gun went off, striking the boy in the head, Hutson said.

The boy remained at Intermountain Medical Center in critical but stable condition Thursday.

Police are still investigating what the teens were doing at a residence in South Salt Lake. "There may have been a crime at that house," Hutson said. "That young man may not have been willingly with this other group."

— Lana Groves