AWOL soldier killed in shootout was clearly headed to Utah, but no one knows why

SALT LAKE CITY — Investigations by both the Salt Lake Police Department and the U.S. Army show it was clear that Army Spec. Brandon Barrett was headed to Utah.

But the question of why he came to Salt Lake City with apparent intentions to shoot people still remains unanswered.

A 200-page report from the U.S. Army detailing the case of Barrett — who was shot and killed during a confrontation with Salt Lake police on Aug. 27, 2010, near the Grand America Hotel while dressed in full military combat gear — was obtained by the Seattle Weekly. It was unclear if the report was different than a report issued by the Army in February.

Documents obtained by the Deseret News through a Government Records Access and Management Act request provide additional details of Barrett's movement in the city prior to his shootout with police.

Barrett arrived at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma, Wash., after a yearlong deployment to Afghanistan. On June 28, within the first 24 hours after arriving back to the U.S., he was arrested for investigation of DUI.

After his arrest, military officials made an example of him. He was threatened by his supervisor that he wouldn't be allowed to go home for a monthlong leave, according to the Seattle Weekly. Friends say he was livid over the threat.

On July 20, he was reported missing from his unit.

According to an Army report released in February, Barrett sent a text message Aug. 18 to a friend — a soldier at the base — telling him he purchased 500 rounds of ammunition for his AR-15 and "was going to show them why they shouldn't (expletive deleted) with recently deployed soldiers," the report states.

A second text message was also sent about that time, stating, "they (will) never take me alive."

Newly released Salt Lake police reports confirm Barrett had been texting several friends, "making statements about what he was about to do."

Among his texts, Barrett said "he was not going back to jail; he was going to make a name for himself in Utah and to watch the news on the 26th," according to Salt Lake police records.

According to the report from the Army, the Aug. 18 conversation was with a friend through MySpace. According to the Seattle newspaper, the conversation went as follows:

Barrett: Yeah for now. I leave sunday morning for utah

Soldier: You coming back? to the unit I mean

Barrett: No I got big plans going to make a name for myself.