SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill has determined the use of deadly force by a Salt Lake City police officer last month against a man with a knife was justified.
On June 21, Salt Lake Police Sgt. Steve Wooldridge was wrapping up his shift and headed back to the police station. He was driving in the area of 210 S. Rio Grande St. with both front windows down when he saw a woman being followed by a man and heard someone say, “Get away from me with that knife," according to the DA's report.
Wooldridge got out of his vehicle and saw Kuot Garang Akol Ayat, known on the street as "Corn Chip," with a knife in his hands. He ordered Ayat to put the knife down, but Ayat put his hands behind his back without dropping the weapon, according to the report.
"Sgt. Wooldridge said he feared the male was going to harm the female again with the knife or perhaps someone else on the crowded sidewalk," the report stated.
As Ayat continued to ignore the officer's commands to drop the knife, he walked toward Wooldridge and got within 7 to 9 feet, the report stated.
"Sgt. Wooldridge said he saw the male move towards him. Sgt. Wooldridge said he felt threatened by the male holding a knife moving towards him. Sgt. Wooldridge said he believed the male intended to use the knife against him. Sgt. Wooldridge said as soon as he perceived the male moving towards him, Sgt. Wooldridge fired his gun twice at the male," according to the report.
According to the woman whom Ayat was allegedly following, "she said she saw Mr. Ayat approach Sgt. Wooldridge in an 'aggressive' manner. Ms. Bywater-Spencer said that if she were the officer, she would have shot Mr. Ayat, too. She said Mr. Ayat had a 'look' in his eyes that she described as like a 'bull,' and that to her, it looked like Mr. Ayat was going to 'charge' the officer," according to the district attorney's report.
It was reported earlier that the incident was not recorded on the officer's body camera. According to the DA's report, "Sgt. Wooldridge said since he was close to completing his shift for the day, he was uploading his body camera to his laptop in his patrol car" as he was driving back to the police station when he spotted the woman.
Ayat, who was treated for his gunshot wounds and survived, was charged July 2 in 3rd District Court with assault against a police officer, a second-degree felony.
Because of a new law passed by the Utah Legislature calling for more transparency and not allowing law enforcement agencies to investigate their own officers in use of deadly force situations, the shooting investigation for this incident was handled by the Unified Police Department who then handed their report over to the district attorney's office.
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