UPDATED: Suspect identified in SWAT standoff last Saturday near South River Road

Written by Nick Yamashita
December 3, 2022
SWAT was dispatched to a situation involving one adult male at a residence within the neighborhood of Basswood Circle and Tamarisk Dr. nearby S. River Rd, Dec. 3, 2022 | Photo by Nick Yamashita, St George News

ST. GEORGE — The St. George Police Department had to call in the SWAT team to handle a situation at a home in the neighborhood of Tamarisk Drive and Basswood Circle on Saturday morning at about 10:30 a.m.

SWAT was dispatched to a situation involving one adult male at a residence within the neighborhood of Basswood Circle and Tamarisk Dr. nearby S. River Road, Dec. 3, 2022 | Photo by Nick Yamashita, St George News

Police were present at the location when it was discovered there was a potential threat of injury to others, and the SWAT team was dispatched to de-escalate the crisis. Over 20 police units, two SWAT units and the SWAT armored truck were on the scene during the incident.

According to St. George Police Officer Tiffany Mitchell, the scene was locked down and a shelter-in-place reverse 911 call was made to nearby residents.

Due to the back of the house being alongside South River Road, traffic was affected by one lane of the main thoroughfare being closed to traffic for a short length.

Mitchell said one adult male, identified as 37-year-old Kevin Matthew Hamby, was involved in a fight and refused to leave the residence.

As stated in the police report, an alleged female victim was found by responding officers exiting the house, claiming Hamby had a gun.

The report stated she was covered in blood. Statements from the alleged victim were the suspect physically attacked her.

The neighborhood was shut down to traffic, and SWAT was dispatched due to the safety of officers and the public.

“Anytime when we think the suspect inside the home has a weapon or access to them, then we have SWAT come because at the end of the day, we want everyone to come home safe,” Mitchell said.

SWAT team members moved into position and drove in the armored vehicle up to the residence from the rear off South River Road.

Hamby surrendered with no incident after communication with him was achieved shortly after 1 p.m.

The scene was cleared and deemed safe at approximately 1:08 p.m. The SWAT team left the scene at approximately 1:10 p.m.

The shelter-in-place status was lifted about the same time, and South River Road and Tamarisk Drive were reopened fully to traffic.

St. George Police Sgt. Wade Johnson, who was on the scene, reported the incident was a “positive ending.”

After the investigation concluded, Hamby was officially arrested at 3:02 p.m.

Hamby was booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility on charges of domestic violence-simple assault and an active warrant issued by the Washington County Justice Court for $500.

On Dec. 7 at 4:10 p.m., Hamby was released from jail on a $5,000 posted bail set by the 5th District Court.

According to criminal records, Hamby has been arrested several times for mostly drug charges, including several arrests during 2014.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Updated Dec. 9, 2022, 6:42 p.m.: Information and official investigation findings from police reports, court reports and St. George Police Department added.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nick Yamashita has extensive experience reporting for small town media, covering a variety of subjects and events for The Virgin River Times and The Progress in Southern Nevada. Before a career in journalism, he worked a variety of jobs in criminal justice systems. Yamashita holds a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a master's degree in interdisciplinary studies from Southern Utah University. He is an award-winning photographer and writer. He has been published in scholarly articles and poetry compilations. In his spare time, he practices and teaches martial arts.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews

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