Man who shot self after crashing into Utah public safety building has died

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Taylorsville • A man upset over his driver license suspension — and who shot himself in the head Wednesday after crashing an RV through the glass doors at the front of the Calvin Rampton public safety complex in Taylorsville — has died, authorities said at a Thursday news conference.

Gary Kumen Chandler, 53, of Kearns, died at a hospital several hours after authorities say he shot himself after purposely crashing into the complex, located at 4501 S. 2700 West just after 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Chandler had sent an email and made a phone call to the driver license division at that complex, according to Utah Highway Patrol Superintendent Daniel Fuhr. But Fuhr said it is not clear yet whether Chandler communicated any threats.

"We know that we received an email that [said] he was not happy with his driver license status after being suspended for a DUI," Fuhr said Thursday. "Other than that, that's all we know right now."

Fuhr said that email had been turned over to Unified Police investigators, who are continuing to talk with employees and people who were in contact with Chandler before the crash.

Witnesses in the lobby said the crash was followed by the sound of a gunshot and the flash of a muzzle blast.

Chandler was taken to a hospital, where he died about 6:30 p.m.

Fuhr said no one else was injured, and noted that employees working in the employee area are protected by bullet-proof glass. He said there were no non-employees in the lobby when Chandler crashed through the glass-front entrance.

Marissa Villasenor, public information officer for the Utah Department of Public Safety, said Thursday that Chandler's dog was in the RV when he drove into the building, but was not injured.

"Some employees here took care of him while animal services arrived," she said.

On Thursday, the damaged entrance was covered in plywood and surrounded by orange construction barrels. Scott Whitney, with facilities management, said it will likely take six to eight weeks to replace the glass, but said there was limited structural damage to the building. Whitney said he was not sure how much it will cost to repair the damage.

Court records show that Chandler was charged last month in West Valley City's justice court with class B misdemeanor driving under the influence, class C misdemeanor weaving, and improper turn, an infraction, for alleged offenses on Dec. 5.

During a Jan. 5 pre-trial conference, Chandler pleaded not guilty to all three counts.

(The court docket indicated that Chandler had pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but city officials said that was a clerical error which had been corrected.)

A scheduling conference in the case had been set for Feb. 2.

West Valley City's chief prosecuting attorney, Ryan Robinson, said that when a person is arrested for a DUI, the Driver License Division is notified and a license can be suspended. A defendant can request a hearing before a driver license hearing officer and petition to have the license reinstated, Robinson said. Robinson said he didn't know if that had taken place in Chandler's case.

Chandler's defense attorney could not be reached for comment.

jmiller@sltrib.com