TOOELE — Police say Tutuila “Ben” Pine Koonwaiyou used a woman as a shield to protect himself from police gunfire before being fatally shot by officers.
Koonwaiyou, 27, was shot during a dramatic hostage situation and rescue in the parking lot of strip mall in Tooele Saturday night that lasted several hours and involved numerous officers from several law enforcement agencies.
Three Tooele police officers who fired on Koonwaiyou remained on administrative leave Monday.
The situation began Saturday about 9 p.m. on Main Street near 1200 North when police were called about an armed man possibly violating a protective order, said Tooele Police Chief Ron Kirby.
As soon as officers pulled into the parking lot, Koonwaiyou forced a 39-year-old woman and a boy, believed to be 12 to 15 years old, inside his car at gunpoint, said Tooele Police Sgt. Jeremy Hansen.
Police from several agencies surrounded the vehicle. By 1 a.m., the boy was allowed to leave the car.
By 3 a.m., Kirby said the man “chose to go for his gun, and officers were right there confronting him.”
Hansen said Koonwaiyou had pulled the woman from the passenger seat onto his lap in order to shield him from officers. He later got out of the car, and had his arms wrapped around her as officers moved in, Hansen said.
Koonwaiyou was shot and killed by police. The woman also sustained injuries that police have called serious but not life-threatening. As of Monday, police have not said whether the woman was also shot or whether she was injured by Koonwaiyou or police.
The relationship between the woman and Koonwaiyou was also being investigated. According to court records, a woman originally filed for a protective order against Koonwaiyou in Tooele County’s 3rd District Court in August 2019. The protective order was eventually served while Koonwaiyou was in the Utah State Prison, court records state.
In 2016, Koonwaiyou was sentenced to one to 15 years in prison on a robbery conviction, according to court records. He was later sentenced to an additional year after threatening the victim in the previous case not to testify at trial, court records state.
Help for people in abusive relationships can be found by contacting the YWCA’s Women in Jeopardy program at 801-537-8600, or the confidential statewide Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-897-LINK (5465). Resources are also available online at udvc.org.