Two deputies were wounded – one shot in the eye and the other in the face – after a “quarrel” outside the sheriff in Salt Lake County, the sheriff said.
The sheriff, Rosie Rivera, said the deputy who was shot in the face was in a stable condition and the other in a critical condition.
The gunman was killed, but Sheriff Rivera did not specify how he died. According to her, the quarrel took place on a lawn outside the office, where people usually sleep or wait for a bus.
The two deputies were conducting a routine security check on campus when they saw the gunman who was armed, Sheriff Rivera said.
“We do not know if he was asleep or not, but something happened to get their attention to go talk to him, and then it happened very quickly,” Sheriff Rivera said, adding that the deputies and the man fired. changed.
“These types of incidents are really devastating for the department, and we hope and pray that our deputies will be fine,” the sheriff said at a news conference. “The environment for law enforcement is extremely dangerous at the moment.”
Both deputies were expected to survive their wounds. The deputy in stable condition, whose cheek was grazed by a bullet, is expected to be discharged from the hospital soon, the sheriff said.
“There is a lot of damage to his face, but he is cohesive,” she added.
The deputy is expected to be operated on in critical condition, Sheriff Rivera said.
Government of Spencer J. Cox of Utah said on Twitter that he and his wife prayed for the delegates.
Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson also provides support to deputies and the department on Twitter.
“My thoughts are with the deputies who were injured this morning during a horrific shooting,” she said. Wilson said. “Our hearts and hopes are with the delegates and their families.”
The two deputies were part of a team overseeing the security of the campus around the office and the nearby Salt Lake County Metro Jail, which is in South Salt Lake, Sheriff Rivera said. The deputies and the gunman were not immediately identified, but the sheriff later said the suspect was a man.
Sheriff Rivera said authorities intended to review surveillance videos, but that deputies working in the prison do not wear body cameras.
After the shooting, which took place around 10:30 local time, Sheriff Rivera said the jail had closed. Some streets in the area were also closed.
“We have no indication at all that the prison is in any danger,” she said, concluding that locks are a standard protocol in such cases.
Sheriff Rivera told a follow-up news conference she was grateful the meeting took place on a Saturday when there were fewer employees on campus.
“This is our workplace,” she said. “This is our workhouse and it came close to home.”
Peer support teams were made available to help farmers and the families of those involved, and neighboring police departments also offered assistance, the sheriff said.
“It’s just shocking,” she said. “We are a strong family and we will succeed. It’s just hard for all of us right now. ”
Sheriff Rivera said she was in touch with the governor’s office and the mayor’s office, adding that the multiple police agencies had extended their support.
“Law enforcement holds together in these types of things,” Sheriff River said. “It’s tragic, but we will recover and it could have been much worse.”