Provo police officer and gunman shot during exchange of gunfire

Provo police investigate after a Provo police officer was injured during an exchange of gunfire with a man at Vista Ridge Apartment Community in Provo on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. A few hours after the shooting, police announced that the officer was “stable” following surgery, that he had been shot at least twice in addition to receiving a shrapnel wound to his head. The man accused of shooting the officer was also hospitalized Thursday for gunshot wounds. Police did not provide an update on his condition. | Jeffrey D. Allred, Deseret News

PROVO — A Provo police officer was injured during an exchange of gunfire with a man in an apartment complex Thursday.

The officer was able to walk out of the building on his own, and was receiving treatment at a local hospital for gunshot wounds, according to Provo police.

A few hours after the shooting, police announced that the officer was “stable” following surgery, that he had been shot at least twice in addition to receiving a shrapnel wound to his head.

The man accused of shooting the officer was also hospitalized Thursday for gunshot wounds. Police did not provide an update on his condition.

The incident began about 12:30 p.m. when officers received numerous calls of a man with a gun acting “erratically” near 80 South and 900 East in Provo, said Provo Police Sgt. Nisha King. One caller told 911 dispatchers that a window had been shot out.

Matt Newey, Deseret News

A Provo police officer was injured during an exchange of gunfire with a man in an apartment complex on Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021.

After officers arrived at the scene, there was a “confrontation” and “gunshots were exchanged,” King said.

At one point the gunman barricaded himself in the building, but officers were eventually able to take him into custody.

Neither the name of the gunman nor the officer have yet been released. King said the injured officer has been with the Provo Police Department for about two years.

The officer-involved shooting will be investigated by the Utah County OICI Protocol Team, headed by the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, Utah County Attorney David Leavitt announced Thursday.

“Our prayers and our thoughts are with the injured officer and with his family. I express my gratitude to law enforcement for the dangers they willingly face to respond to these incidents and support our investigative teams as they work to gather the facts and the evidence,” Leavitt said in a prepared statement.

More information will be posted as it becomes available.

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