Reader comments
'Come get me,' firefighter told 911 before standoff

Now the truth comes out....

Note to police: Just because a suspect says "come get me," doesn't mean you have to do it.

12 hours? He had 12 hours to surrender and chose not to. Was the neighborhood evacuated? Were any schools in lockdown? If yes, and I don't remember, then no, he wasn't a threat only to himself. It's a horrible situation all the way around, but the police officers have families, too. If push comes to shove, they are going to go home to their families.

This sounds like "suicide by cop".

I wonder what would have happened if nobody showed up and someone called him in for lunch or dinner a few/several hours later.

Often when we are in trouble we try to draw others into our drama. Any parent or teacher familiar with "Love and Logic" will understand that you don't let the person draw you into their problem. You give them time to think it out and make a decision.

It is their problem and you can offer help, but ultimately I feel Mr. Wood could have sorted things out with a little help or encouragement from family. He obviously wanted a showdown and the local authorities eventually obliged.

I really think that the methods currently used by law enforcement need to be rethought. What would have happened if nobody came. Give the wife and family time to leave and observe the person from a distance without them knowing it.

Surely a few text messages to his phone could have helped him think it out.

You know it goes, if you give a Cop a Pistol...

I could have gone my entire lifetime not knowing those intimate details of a dying man. Thanks, DNews for making the choice of letting me know, whether true or not, that this man sexually and physically assaulted his family members. And the rebuttal from an attorney. That makes it OK, I guess.

Yes, it was your choice to tell me this. It is, in my estimation, not news but pure sensationalism. Seriously, you could have left out prurient, inconsequential information that only inflames the grieving and adds nothing to the news value of this event.

Poor choice.

Garbage can or not, anyone firing a gun in a suburban neighborhood IS a threat. Sorry he died, but his actions brought this sad event about. Of course his family will minimize his actions and blame everybody else, but the reality is he could have ended this peacefully. He started it and they finished it. Good for the cops.

If you think this is sensationalistic journalism, you need to either get out more or go back to college. What "inconsequential" information would you have left out, I'd like to know.

@WOW: Did the Deseret News force you to click through and read the story?

If you didn't like it then why did you not only read it but comment on it too.

We have several situations where police didn't come to a family dispute where one person has a gun. It doesn't end pretty. But people are then saying, "where were the police while this was happening." I know it is hard for the family...it is a real shame when this happens, but a man -- not in his right mind -- with a gun is a danger to all those around him. I feel the police had to act. This could have turned out a lot worse. What if he went to the neighbors or the local schools to get his point across. No Mr. Wood -- who sounds like an outstanding man in other situations -- is the one who is responsible for the situation...not the police. He is a good man who made some bad choices...don't try to put the blame on others. I am sorry for his death; I am sorry for his widow, and most of all I am sorry for his son.

...the cops to come to your house don't break the law and don't call 911.
Don't blame the cops for what happened. This guy was a danger to his family as evidenced by his increasingly hostile acts. How long should the cops have stayed away? Until he killed his wife and kids?

You didn't have to read it. The newspaper police didn't point a gun at you and say, "Read".

The man was abusive. He really didn't show the highest standard of a husband, father, or firefighter. He would have done this again and again.

His wife obviously didn't have the strength to get away from him the FIRST time he did it. She put her blinders on and felt that things would get better and that nobody understands. Well, I know first hand that "things don't get better" but they DO get worse. The sooner you can get out of a situation the sooner you and your kids will start to recover and have a better, happier life.

How is this sensationalism? Those were the words directly out of his mouth. He acted like a child making up stories about how he raped and beat his wife. That was clear from his tone of voice in the call and the way he hung up the phone directly afterwards. It is clear he just wanted to stir up trouble with the police and was suicidal at that point.

I was at first angry at the police since they lied to us at the start saying he committed suicide, however after all the details are out. This guy wanted to die and he got his exact wish.

He brought this on himself. He had a history with the police and obviously never learned to control his actions. It doesn't mean he deserved to die, but it certainly clears the police from wrong doing.

Brian Wood started the fight. The police tried their best to act prudently. Brian Wood gave them no choice.

This wasn't his first time doing this, he obviously had a mental or emotional deficiency. To bad he didn't get or was offered the help he required.

What a wonderful group of human beings you all are.

OK, the paper didn't FORCE me to read this article. My point, obviously lost, was that the newspaper CHOSE to highlight the sensational aspects of this "event", i.e., a verbatim, base confession of an assault, real or not. Could the reporter/editor not conveyed that message in a more subtle way?

To Give Me A Break: As a former victim of described assault, it struck me in a way that it did not, apparently, all of you claiming it was no big deal. Not inconsequential?

To Prude: And what is the purpose of this comment board if not to come on and offer opinion about a given article, reaction, other commentator's remarks, etc.?

But based on this thread, it seems nothing more than a public stoning:

"Of course his family will minimize his actions and blame everybody else," "You know it goes, if you give a Cop a Pistol." "This guy wanted to die and he got his exact wish. He brought this on himself." "His wife obviously didn't have the strength to get away from him the FIRST time he did it. She put her blinders..."

Well done.

I thought about it and "think" you're wrong.

If a man wants to commit suicide, let him commit suicide, but don't commit it for him. I am grateful to the police for their efforts to ensure public safety, but sometimes they ensure public safety by taking away people's rights and agency. That is called police brutality and is a reflection of a society existing in a police state. That is what we are becoming. Did the police do the right thing here? Yes and no. If they were not present THEIR lives would not be in danger. The woman said to stay away. The father was there. The situation escalated WHEN THE POLICE ARRIVED. Did the police do their duty? Yes, but they should have never been there. Was he abusive? Most likely, but not definitively. A problem with our police today is a tendency to assume guilt. People are INNOCENT until PROVEN guilty.