This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Federal agencies are looking into the death of Darrien Hunt, who was shot and killed by Saratoga Springs police last year.
The U.S. Attorney's Office of Utah, the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and the FBI are conducting a federal review "into the circumstances leading to the shooting" of Hunt, according to a letter that the DOJ sent to Robert Sykes, the Hunt family's attorney, on Thursday.
The DOJ requested that Sykes or Hunt's family provide any relevant evidence by March 25.
"We're kind of elated that the federal government's taking a significant interest in this," Sykes said Friday evening, adding that the agencies "must feel, based on what they know, that there's a possibility of criminal conduct here. We're grateful that they're involved."
Sykes is representing Hunt's mother, Susan Hunt, in a civil lawsuit against two police officers and Saratoga Springs City, arguing they violated the man's civil rights. Hunt was shot six times by the officers — Cpl. Matt Schauerhamer and Officer Nicholas Judson — after they responded to two 911 callers reporting a man walking with a sword near Redwood Road and State Road 73.
Attorney Heather White, who represents Saratoga Springs and the two officers who shot Hunt, said that the city learned Friday about the review.
"We understand that these types of reviews are regularly conducted on high-profile cases throughout the country," White said. "The city has not yet been asked for any information but welcomes the review and will cooperate with the Department of Justice in conducting that review."
White has said that her clients dispute claims made in the lawsuit and "intend to vigorously defend against those claims."
Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman ruled in November that the two officers were justified in using deadly force against Hunt because they believed the man might harm or kill them or others. He allegedly swung the sword at the officers.
The same month, officials of the Salt Lake branch of the NAACP announced they had asked the DOJ to conduct an independent investigation to determine if Hunt's civil rights were violated, whether the tactics used were consistent with police policy and if the use of deadly force was justified. Hunt was black, and the two officers are white.
Branch President Jeanetta Williams said in the November that there was no justification for the officers to shoot Hunt as he ran away from them.
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