Standoff at Taylorsville business ends after man shoots self
This is a developing story. ABC4 will update this post as more information becomes available.
TAYLORSVILLE, Utah (ABC4) — A SWAT team responded Wednesday afternoon to a Taylorsville business where authorities say an armed man suffering some kind of emergency pointed a gun at first-responders before fatally shooting himself after an hourslong standoff.
Sgt. Jake Hill, a spokesperson for Taylorsville police, said the standoff happened at Aspen Landing, a wedding reception business located on South Redwood Road.
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Firefighters with Unified initially responded around 12:30 p.m. to the business on a medical call concerning a 60-year-old man. When the fire crew went into an office to check on him, the man pointed a handgun at them and motioned as though he would pull the trigger.
“They believed he had every intention to assault them,” Hill said.
The firefighters retreated from the building and called police. Units from Taylorsville and neighboring West Jordan responded and worked to clear other employees out of the building. They also tried to make contact with the man, but when their efforts were unsuccessful, they called the SWAT team.
The SWAT team set up around the building and tried to contact the man, Hill said. After a few hours, authorities received a search warrant to enter the business and found the man inside dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
“At this point we don’t have any reason to believe there is anybody else inside or anybody else in danger,” Hill said.
The man, whose name has yet to be released, is believed to have been an employee at the business. What led to the crisis Wednesday remains under investigation, police said.
No other nearby buildings were evacuated during the standoff, nor was local traffic affected. Taylorsville is a Wasatch Front community located roughly 13 miles south of Salt Lake City.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call the suicide prevention hotline at 988. National Alliance on Mental Illness Utah: namiut.org
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