This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah Highway Patrol investigators questioned and released a man who left a wreath-wrapped package at the Capitol Rotunda containing an unloaded assault-style rifle as an anti-gun violence protest.
UHP Sgt. Todd Royce said the man, shown on security camera footage kneeling and placing the white, 5-foot coffin-shaped package in the center of the Rotunda at 3:24 p.m. Thursday, contacted investigators late Thursday night after seeing his image broadcast on television news and social media. UHP visited, questioned and then released him just before midnight.
"He is not being held in custody at this time," Royce said, confirming the 31-year-old Cache County man was not considered a threat to public safety, and that he had indicated his actions were meant as a protest against gun violence.
"The individual essentially said that the purpose of his actions was to advocate against gun violence. The individual was not arrested after being interviewed; however, investigators are still following up on leads, reviewing evidence, and evaluating if criminal laws were potentially violated," Royce added.
Royce said the man's legal name is Cameron Carl Crimefighter. A check of court records found no criminal cases under that name.
Troopers — who provide security for state government facilities and officials — continued to investigate the incident and had not yet determined whether charges will be brought, Royce said.
Surveillance video captured the man entering the Capitol from its main south doors and walking to the Rotunda with a wrapped package in his arms, Keith Squires, Utah's public-safety commissioner, had said earlier.
At the center of the circle, the man drops to his knee and lays the package on the floor, pauses for a moment and then leaves through the same doors, Squires said.
UHP investigators — with help from Salt Lake City police, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms — worked into late Thursday night to identify and contact the man.
The Capitol, which remained closed overnight, reopened Friday morning after all of the Capitol grounds buildings were cleared during a precautionary sweep.
In the video, the gray-blue suited man carefully placed the package on the floor and appeared to then say something, perhaps a prayer, before leaving. The package also was covered in writing, but the contents of any message were not released.
Squires said UHP personnel monitoring Capitol surveillance video in real time saw the man when he reached the Rotunda and called for troopers, who arrived within about 40 seconds, Squires said.
Officers then evacuated the building and called for help from the Salt Lake City Police Department's bomb squad.
Bomb technicians determined the package was "nonexplosive" by about 6 p.m.
Capitol security officers also tried to follow the man as he left the building, but they missed him. Surveillance footage, however, shows the man getting into a white SUV and leaving the area.
Twitter: @remims