Man pleads guilty to pulling gun at Utah police station

A man accused of prompting an April shooting inside the West Valley City Police Department's lobby by wielding an unloaded handgun in an alleged suicide bid pleaded guilty to three felony charges Thursday.

James Ramsey Kammeyer pleaded guilty Thursday to threat of terrorism, aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a restricted person — each a third-degree felonies punishable by up to 5 years in prison.

In exchange for his plea, prosecutors dropped two additional felony charges.

Kammeyer, 39, will be sentenced in 3rd District Court in December.

On April 29, Kammeyer walked into the police station at 3575 S. Market Street and approached the receptionist's window. He asked to speak with a detective and was directed to an officer at another window, according to court documents. He asked to speak with the detective in private, but then agreed to meet with the officer in the lobby instead.

As the detective approached, he noticed that Kammeyer was fidgeting with something in his pocket, according to charging documents. When he asked Kammeyer to remove his hands from his pockets, charges state, Kammeyer pulled out a handgun and pointed it at the detective, then the receptionist.

A second officer ran downstairs to help, but when he arrived at the door to the lobby, Kammeyer allegedly pointed the gun to his head.

That's when the officer opened fire.

Kammeyer was struck by bullets twice in the arm. He was taken to a local hospital and treated for his injuries, which his wife of eight years told police was less than what he had hoped for.

According to statements in a search warrant filed with the court, Kammeyer's wife said her husband had become increasingly unstable recently and had twice before made unsuccessful attempts to kill himself.

Kammeyer, who works for the state's Department of Technology Services, was charged earlier this year in West Jordan Justice Court with criminal mischief and two counts of commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child, stemming from an alleged domestic dispute the night before the shooting. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor disorderly conduct involving violence and was sentenced in June to spend 30 days in jail.

Since Kammeyer is a convicted felon — he pleaded guilty in 1999 to child sex abuse — he's not allowed to have a gun.

mlang@sltrib.com

Twitter: @Marissa_Jae