This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Salt Lake County Jail staff were reeling Saturday after learning about the death of their colleague Chad Conrad.
Among colleagues at the jail, Conrad, a Salt Lake County sheriff's sergeant, was known as a "funny guy," and many were "absolutely heartbroken," Unified Police Lt. Brian Lohrke said Saturday.
Conrad, 42, and his nephew, 23-year-old Damon Bushman were found dead at a rural home near Spanish Fork on Friday afternoon. Authorities said it appeared Bushman shot Conrad multiple times while he was sleeping, then turned the gun on himself.
"The whole jail is just shook-up, really," Lohrke said. Due to the nature of the situation, some employees had taken leave, he said.
Known as Connie to his friends, Conrad was passionate about riding motorcycles.
Friends on Saturday organized a fundraiser ride and raffle to help Conrad's four children. It is scheduled for 8 a.m. on April 1 at Legends Vintage Motorcycles in Springville.
Utah County Sgt. Spencer Cannon said Saturday evening investigators still don't have any definitive answers on the circumstances that may have led to the shooting. They were hoping to obtain more information after searching Bushman's phone.
"There obviously was some anger there toward Chad, for some reason," Cannon said, citing the multiple gunshots Bushman took at his uncle.
Cannon said Conrad had worked the graveyard shift at the jail, and likely returned home early in the morning Friday before heading to bed.
The shooting occurred sometime before 12:30 p.m., he said.
The two lived at the two-story home; a different family member owns it, Cannon said.