This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
West Valley City • Officer Cody Brotherson was the kind of person who could make the best out of any encounter, a friend and fellow officer said Wednesday night at a candlelight vigil staged in honor of the slain lawman.
The event brought laughter and tears from speakers and more than 500 mourners as they listened to stories about the 25-year-old, who was killed Sunday after being hit by a stolen car during a police chase.
Officer Austin Kimball worked graveyard shifts with Brotherson, and the two liked to tease each other and make bets on what might happen — with the loser buying the other dinner.
One night, Kimball said, he was complaining to Brotherson about the lack of dining options in the early morning hours.
"Dude, I got this," Kimball remembers Brotherson telling him, and Brotherson headed into a 7-Eleven.
"He's going around the store, and he's picking stuff out — he looks like a chef on one of those cooking shows," Kimball said. Brotherson proceeded to the checkout and whipped up "the finest-looking deviled eggs I've ever seen."
Kimball was working with Brotherson during his last night on the job. Fighting back tears, he told the crowd gathered about two encounters they'd had that night.
The first was a noise complaint. Kimball and Brotherson knocked on the door. No one answered. The two then heard a woman singing karaoke in the backyard and headed that way. Brotherson stood on a bucket to see over the fence as the woman finished her song.
After she was done, someone from the group noticed Brotherson and was embarrassed that neighbors had called the police. He assured them that they were great singers, but asked them to keep it down for the rest of the night.
"He was great at working with people," Kimball said.
The second story from that night was a call reporting someone camping in a park. Kimball and Brotherson went there and found a homeless man, who had lit a fire and had some drug paraphernalia. Brotherson informed the man that people weren't allowed to camp in the park and issued him a citation for the drugs.
Brotherson told the man, "You're not supposed to be in this park, but it's cold. I know you're homeless and have nowhere to go. I'll give you the rest of the night to sleep, and tomorrow morning I'm going to come check on you and make sure it's cleaned up."
Brotherson headed to his car, Kimball said, and returned with Halloween candy for the man. Brotherson apologized to the man, stating that he usually kept his car stocked with something more substantial, like cans of soup.
Kimball said his shifts with Brotherson were "some of the best times of my life."
Brotherson's father, Jeff Brotherson, also addressed the crowd, describing his son as "sweet, loyal, funny and kind," a "prankster" who would quote movie lines "loosely based on his life," and could "turn a can of SpaghettiOs and a ham sandwich into a five-course meal."
Cody Brotherson "fulfilled his lifelong dream of being a police officer," his dad said, crying. Family members are "beyond devastated," at their loss.
After speaking, the father embraced an emotional West Valley City Police Chief Lee Russo.
Brotherson's loss is "not something that we're ever going to get over," Russo said. "It's just simply something that, over time, we're going to get used to."
West Valley City Mayor Ron Bigelow also spoke, and musical numbers were performed from the Granger High School Madrigals — Brotherson's alma matter and West Valley city police Officer Breianna Wolfgramm.
Courtney Frehner, who works at the West Valley City Justice Court and was passing out candles at the event, said organizers had prepared by getting 500 candles, but they ran out before the vigil even started.
Brotherson was outside his patrol car Sunday, apparently trying to lay down spike strips to stop a stolen car by puncturing its tires, when he was struck.
The stolen car crashed, and police say the three male suspects — ages 14, 15 and 15 — ran, but were caught and taken into custody.
Brotherson's patrol car — adorned with a blue sash, the fallen officer's photo, and hundreds of notes and flowers — was parked at Fairbourne Station Plaza near City Hall during the vigil.
A public viewing is planned for Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m. at Valley View Mortuary, 4335 W. 4100 South, West Valley City. Brotherson's funeral will be Monday at 10 a.m. at the Maverik Center, 3200 S. Decker Lake Drive (about 2000 West).
Those wanting to donate to the fallen officer's family can do so by using the following information:
Account Name: Officer Cody Brotherson
Credit Union: America First Credit Union
Account Number: 9089772
Twitter: @mnoblenews