This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
A group of Unified Police officers who fired their weapons and killed a man after the suspect fatally wounded Officer Doug Barney earlier this year were justified in using deadly force, the Salt Lake County District Attorney ruled Friday.
The shootout, which also wounded Officer John Richey, occurred on Jan. 17, after 31-year-old Corey Lee "Jasper" Henderson and a female passenger were involved in a car crash in the intersection of 2300 East and 4500 South in Holladay. A UPD officer arrived at the scene and requested help from other officers, according to District Attorney Sim Gill's letter addressed to the UPD sheriff and the Salt Lake City police chief.
That officer told Barney that two people had fled the scene of the crash, and Barney told dispatchers that he was in the area where the two fled, and then said he had spotted Henderson at the end of Lynne Lane, just blocks from the crash.
As Barney, 44, approached Henderson, the suspect pulled out a gun and fired towards the police officer, according to Gill. Henderson then ran away through backyards, while responding officers found a fatally wounded Barney. UPD Sgt. Ben Steiner later told investigators in a written statement that he saw Barney down with a "traumatic gunshot wound to the head."
Steiner and Richey then followed Henderson's footprints through the yards. A third officer, Matt Brownlee, also joined in the search, according to the letter. They eventually spotted Henderson in the front yard of a home near 2167 East and 4500 South.
Steiner and Richey ordered Henderson to drop the gun, according to Gill. Steiner later told investigators that he thought Henderson was "making a plan," because he turned his head and body and looked like he was scanning the area.
"Sgt. Steiner said Mr. Henderson yelled, 'What, what do you want? What do you want?' " the DA's letter reads. "Sgt. Steiner said Mr. Henderson raised his hand holding his pistol and almost simultaneously he heard gunshots."
After the initial shots were fired, a shootout erupted and Steiner, Brownlee and Richey all returned fire. Richey later said in a statement to investigators that he was firing his own gun as he was struck twice in the legs by Henderson's bullets.
"Officer Richey said that although [he] (and presumably other officers) were firing at the suspect, the suspect didn't react to any gunshots and didn't pause his gunfire," Gill wrote. "Officer Richey said he believed the suspect may have been wearing body armor."
Henderson was struck "several times" by the police's bullets, Gill wrote, and he died from his injuries.
Several neighbors witnessed the shooting, according to investigators, and many reported that the gunshots sounded like "firecrackers." Investigators later determined that Henderson fired once at Barney, and nine times at the other officers. The letter does not indicate how many bullets were shot by the police.
Henderson's passenger later told police that she had no idea he was going to shoot at police and that she had fled the car crash only because Henderson told her to and she was scared. She said they were on their way to a friend's home when they approached the intersection and she yelled out, "Red light!" before Henderson struck another car and sent their car spinning several times.
An arrest warrant had been issued for Henderson a month earlier, because he was on parole and new federal gun and drug charges had been filed against him.
Gill wrote that the officers were justified in using deadly force because Henderson had just fatally shot Barney and was firing at them, as well. He added that no criminal charges will be filed against any of the officers.