ST. GEORGE — A man who officers say was seen behaving erratically and brandishing a weapon in the northbound Port of Entry on Interstate 15 at the Utah-Arizona border was shot and killed by officers. The incident was the culmination of an hourlong standoff that forced the shutdown of the port as St. George Police and its SWAT team surrounded the man’s vehicle.
Update Aug. 3, 3 p.m. Additional details including the incident being an officer-involved shooting. Port of Entry reopened. Video added.
“Despite officers’ efforts to de-escalate this incident, the male was shot by an officer and died at the scene,” St. George Police Officer Tiffany Mitchell said in a statement. “There is no active threat to the public.”
Police did not provide a reason for why the suspect was shot but Mitchell said an investigation has been launched by the Washington County Critical Incident Task Force, which handles officer-involved shootings.
“The officer will be on leave,” Mitchell told St. George News. “We aren’t mentioning anything further at this time.”
Officers said the Utah Highway Patrol called in for extra support after a white passenger vehicle was driving back and forth in the Port of Entry and the male driver, the only passenger, could be seen brandishing a weapon.
Police arrived shortly after 7:30 a.m., with Utah Highway Patrol and Arizona Department of Transportation officers already at the Port of Entry, which handles commercial traffic entering Utah checking for registration and making sure vehicles comply with size and weight restrictions.
At least 12 St. George Police vehicles could be seen lining the entry road.
“Troopers backed off and set up containment positions while they notified dispatch requesting additional resources from local agencies and trained crisis negotiators,” Mitchell said.
Mitchell said a crisis negotiator with the department opened communication with the man in the vehicle, which was parked under the blue awning of the employee parking area. A black SWAT armored vehicle stationed itself about 20 yards from the vehicle and a standoff continued for an hour.
Just before 8:40 a.m., shots were heard. Shortly after, SWAT officers moved in with rifles and other weapons drawn. As the officer closed in on the vehicle, their demeanor appeared to calm.
A Gold Cross Ambulance was also on scene, but shortly after left the scene without a patient as the man was declared dead at the scene.
At 1:30 p.m., the vehicle was towed away and shortly after, the Port of Entry was reopened. The southbound entry into Arizona continued normal operations throughout the day.
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