Police in Salt Lake City released bodycam footage of an officer-involved shooting where one man held a knife to the neck of a hostage.
The Salt Lake Tribune newspaper reports:
A 34-year-old man shot and killed by Salt Lake City police in late July had held a knife to another man’s neck before officers opened fire, according to body camera footage released Friday.
Two officers shot at Andrew Jacob Preece on July 25 after a worker at the Smith’s Food and Drug at 455 S. 500 East called 911 at 9:20 a.m. to report that two men had taken an umbrella from the store and were now fighting in the parking lot...
Bodycam released Friday shows one officer initially encountered Preece and another man as they walked on the sidewalk near the grocery store on 500 South. Preece had his hand on the other man’s shoulder, who is walking in front of him, and he’s leaning on the other man as they walk. Preece has a long knife in his other hand.
“Drop the knife!” the officer yelled.
The officer then threatened to tase Preece, and again yelled for him to stop. That’s when Preece pulled the man closer to him and put the knife to his throat.
Preece did not drop the weapon, forcing the two officers to open fire on him. The victim managed to break free unharmed.