A reckless driver was shot and killed by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper on Friday afternoon after the trooper’s vehicle was rear-ended, authorities said.
The incident led to an hourslong closure of northbound I-15 between Murray and South Salt Lake that persisted well into the evening.
The driver hit the trooper’s vehicle about 5 p.m. near 4500 South on I-15, but then swerved around the officer and kept going, Utah Department of Public Safety Commissioner Beau Mason said. The trooper tried to pull the driver over, but the other driver did not stop until reaching 3300 South and got out of the vehicle in the middle of the freeway, Mason said.
“Our trooper and the suspect exited his vehicle. At some point during that interaction, the suspect produced a knife, and our trooper discharged his firearm,” Mason told reporters.
UHP and first responders tried to render aid, but the driver died at the scene.
The trooper was uninjured, and no one else was in the car with the other driver. The trooper has been placed on administrative leave due to the shooting. The driver’s name has not yet been released.
The incident prompted a heavy response from state troopers.
For much of Friday evening, Drivers were being diverted off the freeway at 4500 South or cautioned to seek alternative routes like I-215 or State Street, the Utah Department of Transportation said.
Footage from KSL photojournalists and Chopper 5 shows a heavy police presence at the scene, with rows of cars trying to exit the freeway.
Mason said the incident involves a thorough investigation, and the freeway will be shut down for three or more hours.
By 10 p.m., the closures were still in place.
A Salt Lake County critical incident team, led by West Jordan Police Department, is handling the investigation.
Friday’s incident marks the second shooting on the freeway involving a police officer that resulted in a fatality this month.
A man was shot by a Riverton police officer during a traffic stop on I-15 in Draper on March 10. The male passenger engaged in an altercation with the officer, which resulted in the officer “discharging their service firearm,” the Utah Department of Public Safety said.