Ogden Officer’s Shooting of Knife-Wielding Man


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<p>OGDEN — A construction worker’s cellphone video clip shows an Ogden police officer shooting a suicidal homeless man who was armed with a knife during a brief confrontation in downtown Ogden on Nov. 1.</p>

<p>Weber County Attorney Christopher Allred said Tuesday that he had concluded the shooting of Casey Pacheco by Officer Zackary Scott was justified, based on the results of a probe by his office’s Force Investigation Team.</p>

<p>Pacheco, 32, suffered two perforating Glock 9 mm bullet wounds and underwent surgery. He was released from a hospital five days later. He pleaded guilty Nov. 26 to a reduced charge of third-degree felony assault on a police officer. On Jan. 4, he was sentenced to three years’ probation.</p>

<p>The investigative report and video, obtained by the Standard-Examiner with a public records request, provide more clarity to the incident, which started with a 911 call about a man and a woman fighting on a sidewalk near the intersection of 25th Street and Grant Avenue.</p>

<p>In his interview with a county attorney’s investigator, Scott said he understood from police dispatch as he was rushing to the scene that a man was holding a knife to a woman’s throat. But according to the investigation, Pacheco never threatened the woman, but rather had been holding the knife to his own throat and threatening suicide or “suicide by cop.”</p>

<p>The woman, also homeless, told police she was Pacheco’s ex-girlfriend. She said they still associated and he was very jealous if she spent time with other homeless men in outdoor camps around Ogden. That morning, Pacheco was angry that she had gone to smoke methamphetamine with other homeless people at Marshall White park.</p>

<p>When she returned to an alcove by the Salvation Army building where Pacheco had been guarding her shopping cart full of belongings, they began arguing and Pacheco pulled a knife, pressing it against his throat.</p>

<p>The woman told police she tried several times to take the knife away from him because she feared he would harm himself.</p>

<p>The investigative report said several construction workers who were working on the 26th Street rebuild heard and saw the commotion and they called 911. Police interviewed several workers, who corroborated the woman’s description of her fight with Pacheco and Scott’s shooting of the man.</p>

<p>The woman said Pacheco was angered by Scott’s arrival and turned his attention to the officer.</p>

<p>Pacheco began advancing on Scott, backing up, then advancing again, alternately holding the knife to his neck and waving it, the report said.</p>

<p>Scott told the county investigator that he warned Pacheco multiple times to stay back by saying, “Don’t come any closer” and “Stay back, dude. I don’t want to hurt you. Just talk to me.”</p>

<p>The officer said he did not recall everything Pacheco was yelling, but he did remember Pacheco yelled, “Shoot me, shoot me. You are going to have to kill me.”</p>

<p>Scott said he shouted at the woman to run away from the scene, but she stayed by the shopping cart. He yelled at a construction worker in the background to move out of the way.</p>

<p>Because backup officers had not arrived, Scott said he was reluctant to keep retreating, concerned that Pacheco might run back and stab the woman. He also said he was worried about tripping if he kept backing up and he knew he did not have time to holster the Glock and shoot Pacheco with a stun gun.</p>

<p>As Pacheco again closed the distance, Scott fired four shots, two hitting Pacheco. One pierced his lower abdomen and another went through his shoulder. Investigators determined that Pacheco and Scott were 18 feet apart when the shots were fired.</p>

<p>Scott said he responded to the call near the start of his shift and he had not yet donned his body camera. But a seven-second video clip recorded by one of the construction workers showed the end of the confrontation, Scott firing and Pacheco falling to the sidewalk</p>

<p>Scott told the investigator he “absolutely” feared he would be stabbed and killed if he did not shoot Pacheco.</p>

<p>Scott said that as he and another officer were handcuffing and treating Pacheco, the woman yelled at the man, “What did you think was going to happen? That’s what you get.”</p>

<p>An officer who went to the hospital to interview Pacheco said the man was apologetic about the incident. “Why didn’t he use a TASER?” Pacheco asked, the officer replying it was because Pacheco was threatening Scott with a deadly weapon.</p>
Categories: Police Shooting
Tags: USA Cops shooting
Add comment 2 comments
0 +1 scorpionsrevenge 2 years ago

«armed with a knife yer ok what ever you say send this cop to Ukraine to help fight the russian »

0 +1 weaseldink 2 years ago

«the wall just got ten feet taller»