Ralph Chamness

SIM GILL Jeffrey William Hall

Chief Deputy DISTRICT ATTORNEY Chief Deputy
Civil Division Justice Division

Lisa Ashman Blake Nakamura

Administrative Chief Deputy
Operations Justice Division

Civil Division

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 9, 2018

Contact: District Attorney Sim Gill- sgill@slco.org or 801.230.1209

Today, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office, filed an Aggravated Assault charge
against Utah Department of Corrections Adult Probation and Parole Agent Andrew O’Gwin for
the May 13, 2017 shooting of Joseph Alvin Gomez in Murray, Utah. As outlined in more detail
in the attached Statement of Probable Cause, it is alleged that Mr. Gomez got out of a car
stopped next to O’Gwin at a red light. O’Gwin fired at Gomez five times, hitting him three
times. Gomez survived his injuries.

The District Attorney’s Office charged O’Gwin with Aggravated Assault, a Second Degree
felony, which carries a maximum possible punishment of up to fifteen years in prison.

The District Attorney’s Office also released a letter containing its findings from its independent
review of an Officer-Involved Critical Incident (OICI) protocol investigation into O’Gwin’s use
of deadly force. The OICI protocol investigation team is comprised of law enforcement
personnel of several police departments in Salt Lake County; this team was led by law
enforcement officers from the Salt Lake City Police Department working with an investigation
from the District Attorney’s Office. The letter, previously delivered to Utah Department of
Corrections Executive Director Rollin Cook and Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown,
outlines the District Attorney’s analysis and conclusion that O’Gwin’s use of deadly force was
not legally “justified” under Utah State law and does not afford him the legal defense of
“justification.”

All persons accused of wrongdoing are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a
court of law.
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Attachments:
 Letter to Chief Mike Brown
 Information Statement of Probable Cause Parole Agent O’Gwin

35 East 500 South Salt Lake City, UT 84111