District Attorney: Police shooting not justified

A West Valley City police officer wasn't justified when he opened fire at a vehicle fleeing the scene of an accident, prosecutors said Monday.

Officer Jared Cardon fired three rounds at the car on May 24. Authorities said the officer was issuing a traffic citation when the crash occurred nearby.

Cardon told investigators he feared for his life when he shot at the car because it was driving directly toward him. He said he shot twice at the vehicle to protect himself, then once at the tires to try to stop it. No one was injured by the gunfire, and Cardon has been on paid leave since the incident.

On Monday, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill announced an investigation by his office found the shooting wasn't justified under Utah state law which requires, in part, that the vehicle's driver be posing a threat of death or injury to others if apprehension was delayed.

While Cardon told investigators he was attempting to stop the driver from "threatening my life, threatening the lives of other people in the area," the district attorney's investigation found the officer wasn't in immediate danger.

Testimony from witnesses "consistently described" that the driver was maneuvering "around Cardon and not directly at him," according to the district attorney's report.

An investigation was ongoing to determine what laws Cardon violated and what, if any, action should be taken against the officer.

"We thought he would be cleared," said Cardon's attorney, Greg Skordas. "I'm disappointed in the results from the district attorney's office and we'll go forward and see what needs to be done from here."

West Valley City Police Chief Thayle Nielsen said the district attorney's report now initiates "a complete internal review of Officer Cardon's actions by this police department."

"Officer Cardon has been and will continue to remain on paid, administrative leave pending the final outcome of the investigation," Nielsen said in a statement.

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Associated Press writer Jennifer Dobner contributed to this report.