Utah Police Shoot Man Dead While He’s Holding Hostage With Knife to Throat

Dramatic body cam footage released by Utah Police shows the moment they shot a man dead while he was holding a hostage at knifepoint.

The fatal shooting occurred on July 25 outside a grocery store in Salt Lake City; police received a call claiming two men had entered together and were trying to steal items.

But before police could arrive, witnesses said the two men got into an argument inside the store, that spilled out into the parking lot.

The 911 call, also released by SLCPD, shows the witness informing the dispatcher one was armed with a knife “the length of a forearm”, adding that both men appeared intoxicated.

“I think they’re drunk or something. They keep fighting each other in the parking lot,” the caller says. “They can’t even walk straight.”

The body cam footage shows two officers arriving on the scene, where they find one of the men — later identified as 34-year-old Andrew Jacob Preece — walking behind the other man with his hand on his shoulder.

“Drop the knife!” the male officer calls. “I will tase you if you don’t stop right there!”

But instead, Preece pulls the man in and appears to hold the knife to his throat. The officers keep their guns trained on him as he backs away with the hostage.

“Dude it’s not worth it,” the female officer calls. “I guarantee you dude, I promise you — I don’t make promises I can’t keep. I promise you that.”

Preece then appears to address the male officer, calling “Hey…” before the female officer tells him one more time “It’s not worth it dude”: she then opens fire.

Her first shot prompts a shocked “F–k!” from Preece as he ducks his head down; he doesn’t get to say another word as the two officers unload ten more shots into him.

The hostage slowly walks away as bullets fly past his head, while Preece keels over backward, dead.

At a press briefing releasing the footage, Captain Richard Lewis said the officers attempted life saving measures, but it was too late.

Both officers were placed on administrative leave, as is standard in fatal officer involved shootings. The incident is being reviewed by an independent team to determine if the shooting was legal and justified.

According to Deseret News, court records show Preece had a number of felony and misdemeanor cases dating back to 2005. He was also a graduate of mental health court, which handles offenders with mental illnesses.

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