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School District Police Officer Shoots Teen In West Valley

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Yesterday, a police officer for Granite School District shot a teenager while out on patrol in West Valley. The teenager is in critical condition and an investigation is underway.

Granite School District has a small police force that patrols their schools and, at times, the surrounding communities. These are real police who carry weapons.

According to district spokesperson Ben Horsley, yesterday one of those officers was on a patrol route near Hunter Ridge Park in West Valley. He saw what appeared to be five juveniles in a vehicle and smelled marijuana.

The officer called that in and then approached the car. When he neared the car, Horsley said the vehicle lurched forward, struck the officer, who then shot the driver. The driver, who is a juvenile, is in critical condition.

The investigation of the shooting is being handled by a Salt Lake City police task force for officer involved incidents.

 

Lee Hale began listening to KUER while he was teaching English at a Middle School in West Jordan (his one hour commute made for plenty of listening time). Inspired by what he heard he applied for the Kroc Fellowship at NPR headquarters in DC and to his surprise, he got it. Since then he has reported on topics ranging from TSA PreCheck to micro apartments in overcrowded cities to the various ways zoo animals stay cool in the summer heat. But, his primary focus has always been education and he returns to Utah to cover the same schools he was teaching in not long ago. Lee is a graduate of Brigham Young University and is also fascinated with the way religion intersects with the culture and communities of the Beehive State. He hopes to tell stories that accurately reflect the beliefs that Utahns hold dear.
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