Utah Gov. declares emergency as Dem DA clears cops in shooting

Utah declared a state of emergency after state Democrats announced that an armed robber who was shot and killed by police was not the victim of police brutality and that the police involved acted appropriately.  

“In the case of the Salt Lake City Officer Involved Critical Incident that resulted in the death of Bernardo Palacios Carbajal, District Attorney Sim Gill’s findings provide significant evidence of the justifiable actions of Salt Lake City police officers,” Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall (D) said according to The Hill.

“This evidence shows that our officers acted according to their training and the state law regarding use of lethal force.”

The state’s governor, Gary Herbert (R), declared the state of emergency to clear the streets after protesters broke windows, and caused “bodily harm” to individuals and at least one police officer, says the Daily Herald.

“Peaceful assembly is protected under the law,” said Joe Dougherty, spokesman for the Department of Public Safety. “Damaging property is not.”

At the request of the County District Attorney, Democrat Sim Gill, the governor also ordered the DA’s office closed for the protection of the staff.

Gill defended the decision to clear the officers saying that some points are indisputable: Carbajal was a suspect in a violent crime, he had a gun and that he pointed the gun at the officers.

Victims of Carbajal’s say that he was drunk and accompanied by another gunman when he pointed a “big gun” at each of them and demanded money near Trails Gentlemen’s Club where the gunman had been drinking heavily.

“He pointed it gangster style, like this, basically at (my) face right here,” one victim told local Fox News13, holding his hand sideways.

“They were both pretty drunk,” said another victim, who said he’s Hispanic. “They could have easily accidentally pulled the trigger… Nobody’s going to say **** if I would have died. Nobody would have been protesting in the streets for me.”

“I understand they lost a family member,” he said of family members upset by the police shooting of Carbajal. “This one’s different … nothing close to what happened to George Floyd.”

The police estimate the damage at the DA’s office to be between $100,000 and $200,000 and say they arrested of the “most egregious offenders,” according to the local ABCNews affiliate.

“Vandalism, violence and the use of vehicles to block roadway will no longer be tolerated,” tweeted the Salt Lake City police department, in wake of the arrests.

The governor’s state of emergency is in place until midnight Tuesday.

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