This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Authorities on Tuesday identified the man who was shot and killed by police after threatening to blow up a hazardous-waste incineration facility in Tooele County as a U.S. Navy veteran.
Barry Michael Zumwalt, 36, of West Valley City, was shot Sunday after allegedly pointing a firearm at a Tooele County sheriff's deputy and a Utah Highway Patrol trooper while inside the fenced perimeter at Clean Harbors.
Authorities have said that Zumwalt had "a history" of mental health problems, but have not yet released specifics.
"It was just reports of 'odd behavior,' going out to the desert and doing stuff," said Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon, whose agency is handling the shooting review on behalf of Tooele County and UHP.
Family members reportedly have said Zumwalt may have been off medications prescribed for a bipolar disorder at the time of his death.
While limited by the ongoing nature of the investigation in what he could reveal, Cannon did say that he understood there had been "nothing overtly violent" about the otherwise undetailed incidents.
Zumwalt was armed with a rifle and a handgun, police said.
After being shot — authorities awaited autopsy results to determine how many times and whether it was one or both lawmen who shot him — Zumwalt fell to the ground and crawled under his truck, where he died.
Cannon was able to say that Zumwalt was shot at least two times by the deputy and trooper, from about 160 feet away; both lawmen were armed with rifles.
Clean Harbors officials were mystified why Zumwalt chose their end-of-the-road site, south of Interstate 80, for the confrontation. He was not a former employee, and they could not determine any past connection between him and any of their staff or workers.
Zumwalt reportedly had been spotted by two employees outside the facility early Sunday. They asked if he needed help, and he said he did not — but then followed other workers inside the facility a short time later.
Told he had to leave, Zumwalt then allegedly initiated a physical confrontation with staff and threatened to blow them up. Workers called 911.
Officers arrived at Clean Harbors about 6:30 a.m. Sunday, and the fatal confrontation soon ensued.
A bomb squad found no explosives in the area.
Neither of the two officers who responded was injured in the exchange, and both were placed on administrative leave.
A search of Utah court records show Zumwalt has no prior criminal record.
His Facebook page indicates he was a motorcycle lover and U.S. Navy veteran, originally from Elko, Nev., who left the service in 2006. In one of his most recent posts, Zumwalt asked friends to copy and repost a link to the American Veterans Crisis Line.
Twitter: @remims