SANDY — Before Salt Lake Police Sgt. Andy Oblad entered Trolley Square on the night of Feb. 12, 2007, he briefly thought to himself, "I may not be coming home tonight."
But Oblad's training instinctively kicked in about a second later, and he entered the mall by himself thinking, "I gotta get this guy."
An in-depth analysis on the Trolley Square massacre that resulted in five people being killed and four wounded was presented during the 21st Annual Utah Gang Conference, at the South Towne Expo Center.
Sulejman Talovic, 18, armed with a pistol-grip shotgun, a handgun and a backpack full of 100 rounds of ammunition, walked through the mall parking lot and into the mall, randomly shooting people until he was eventually cornered and killed in a shootout with police.
The workshop was presented by Salt Lake police officer Brett Olsen, one of the first responders that night who was involved in the final confrontation with Talovic. He showed a full room of law enforcers, reporters and other members of the public a step-by-step recap of the movements of both Talovic and police that night.
Although there was little new information presented about the incident that hadn't already been reported, Olsen showed crime scene photos, several of them graphic, from the night of the shootings including chilling pictures from inside the Cabin Fever store where three of the victims were killed. Photos also were displayed of Talovic after he was shot and killed by police inside Pottery Barn for Kids, and of each of the victims showing both the scope of the tragedy and the chaotic and gruesome scene police faced as they entered.
Several pictures were shown of the wounded from their hospital beds, including one of the survivors who was peppered with shotgun pellets through the entire backside of his body. Many of the pictures were being seen by members of the public for the first time.
To this day, Olsen said investigators have no clear motive for why Talovic committed the horrific acts. Despite numerous rumors of Talovic having some kind of Muslim extremist ties, Olsen said all of those rumors, after thorough investigation, are believed to be false.
In six minutes, Talovic fired 39 rounds.
"You could just smell that sulfur in the air, as soon as I got out of my car," Olsen said of the numerous gunshots.
Police ultimately fired 24 rounds, hitting Talovic at least 15 times. In videotaped interviews with many of the officers involved, which were played at the workshops, officers recalled coming up on Talovic from behind while he was engaged with Oblad and off-duty Ogden police officer Ken Hammond.
Four rounds were fired from behind at Talovic, most going into his backpack, from about six yards away. Talovic turned to confront the four officers behind him who then fired several more rounds. Talovic eventually dropped to the ground, still clutching his shotgun and pointing it at officers, Olsen said.
"There were probably 30 guns (from cops) right on him as soon as he fell to the ground," he said.
The medical examiner would later determine that no one round killed him, but rather a combination of many of them, Olsen said.
The incident taught Salt Lake police several lessons about how to deal with so-called "active shooter" crime scenes. Olsen said on the positive side, police learned that training will automatically kick in. Many officers also now stop to think about what kind of police identification they carry with them at all times, even when off duty.
The Trolley Square workshop was one of many presented on the first day of the gang conference that attracts law enforcers, educators and other community activists from across the state.
Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder opened the conference with a few comments about how in struggling economic times, gang officers are needed more than ever, even though much of their work may seem to be unappreciated.
"Most people are more concerned about their wallet than they are the danger of a gang member," he said. "The demographic that breeds gang violence is also suffering. Suffering drives people to gangs. Now is the time to make a difference."
Even though statistics show the crime rate is going down, Winder said that doesn't mean gangs are going away.
Salt Lake County deputy district attorney Sandi Johnson talked about prosecuting gang homicides during the keynote address. Johnson, who has for worked several years on the district attorney's organized gang prosecution team, used the high profile Family Dollar Store murder in 2008 to highlight how a gang-related homicide is prosecuted, and the problems that come with juveniles associating with known gang members.
Wally Knapton was shot and killed on March 12, 2008, when three people, ages 17, 19 and 13, robbed his store at 1145 S. Glendale Drive (1350 West). The trio would later tell investigators that the reason they robbed the store was because they were bored and because being broke was no fun.
Knapton was killed over a total of $180 that the group collected from the robbery. Two of the suspects, who each got $64 for their share of the crime, spent the money on Mexican and Chinese food.
Biu Olive, Sarah Ataata and a minor were all convicted and sentenced. Prosecutors do not believe murder was the group's original intention. The trio who committed the crime claimed they weren't gang members, even though they associated with friends and others who were.
But as Johnson told those at the conference, "If it walks like a gang member, talks like a gang member, it's a gang member."
Police searching the homes of the three suspects found gang graffiti written all over the walls and cupboards. They found shirts that the girlfriends had made for their boyfriends with the boyfriends' gang monikers printed on it. In some cases, police found photos from school dances where the couple is wearing shirts with gang monikers.
Johnson said people who regularly hang out and associate with gang members will develop a glamorized view of gang activity and are more likely to commit criminal acts.
"They're getting entrenched in this mentally. This is what happens when gang members get together, when they get together and talk about how cool it is. (Knapton) is no longer with us because gang members commit a crime, not that they intentionally set out to commit murder," Johnson said.
Two of the suspects in the Knapton case came from families with LDS backgrounds. The 13-year-old's family agreed to allow police to interview him because he had been in church earlier in the day and when the bishop asked if anyone knew anything about the crime, he said no. Later, when the young teen was convicted in juvenile court, not a single member of his family was in the courtroom on the day he was sentenced, Johnson said.
During her presentation, the prosecutor showed crime scene photos from the homicide that many members of the public had never seen before. She showed store surveillance video of the suspects pointing a rifle at people in the store. Witness testimony indicated Knapton was told three times to get down before he was shot. A chilling picture of his lifeless body lying in the store was shown on the projection screen.
For victims, Johnson said court is a brutal process. And she has yet to find a family that believes the court process has brought them closure.
"Every time there's a hearing, (the family) gets notice. They get a reminder (the suspects) are still alive walking around," Johnson said.
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