This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
Draper • Minutes before he was shot to death by police, Jeffrey R. Nielson sat calmly on the curb in handcuffs, smoking a cigarette an officer had lit for him.
It was a cold Wednesday morning in the Draper neighborhood where a West Valley City policeman, who was on his way to work, had spotted Nielson slumped over the wheel of an SUV. Nielson and three officers who also arrived, spoke calmly to one another, without a heated word, as the officers investigated him for an alleged narcotics violation.
But after more than 20 minutes, civility turned to violence in an instant. As officers remove Nielson's handcuffs to swap them with a different pair, Nielson ran to his SUV. The officers grappled with him, trying to pull him out — but within seconds, one officer saw Nielson had a knife and shot him five times.
"[Nielson's] actions highlight the very difficult nature of our profession," Draper Police Chief Byran Roberts said at a Friday news conference, where he showed body camera footage of the episode.
Roberts provided a play-by-play while showing about five minutes of the 31 minutes of camera footage, pointing out both the calm beginning and the violent end of the officers' interactions with Nielson.
"Without notice, an officer can be confronted with a violent circumstance and then be involved in a fight for their life," he said.
Early on, Nielson tells the officers, "Thanks for being cool. Sorry to waste your time."
Roberts said that after unspecified items were found in the vehicle that provided probable cause for an arrest, the 34-year-old Sandy man's hands were cuffed behind his back.
Nielson mentions that there is a knife in the glove box of his vehicle.
Officers did not remove the knife because Nielson was already in custody, Roberts said Friday.
An officer then searched Nielson for weapons or other evidence, and a substance believed to be heroin was found on him. Roberts said Nielson confirmed it was heroin. Nielson also said there was "crack" in the vehicle.
Nielson was then going to be placed into a warm police car, Roberts said, and an officer removed a Draper officer's handcuffs so that a West Valley City officer's cuffs could be put on the suspect, because West Valley City was handling the case.
But as soon as both handcuffs were removed, Nielson ran to the SUV, grabbed a knife with an 8-inch-long blade and attempted to stab the officers, Roberts said.
One of the officers — a West Valley City sergeant who happened upon the scene on her way home from work — tried to stun Nielson with a Taser. But Nielson's three layers of clothing foiled the attempt, Roberts said.
A body camera worn by Draper police Sgt. Dave Harris was knocked off at some point in the confrontation, Roberts said.
Although the video becomes static, one gunshot can be heard almost simultaneously with an officer shouting, "Knife," followed by four more shots in quick succession. Roberts said Nielson was hit in the arm, the back, his abdomen and twice in the side.
Roberts said 38 seconds elapsed from the time the handcuffs were removed until shots were fired.
The West Valley City officer who attempted to stun Nielson sprained her shoulder while struggling with him, said West Valley City Police Chief Lee Russo, who also attended the news conference. The officer has since returned to work.
West Valley City officer Jason Vincent was the one who fired all five shots. Wednesday's shooting is the second time Vincent has fired at a knife-wielding suspect in 13 months.
In December 2013, Vincent shot and wounded 24-year-old Oston Shiloh Fairbourn after the man threatened Vincent with a knife and approached to within several feet of the officer. The shooting was ruled justified by the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office.
Those who knew Nielson have called him an excellent neighbor and selfless friend, whose life had lately become troubled.
In recent weeks, Nielson had been charged with misdemeanor assault and criminal trespassing, and his wife, Chrissy, filed a protective order against him.
Shaun Kimball, a long-time friend of Nielson, said the man's early life was fraught with struggles, but he "was able to bounce back from that."
In 2004, Nielson pleaded guilty to at least 20 felony and misdemeanor counts in cases filed in Salt Lake, Davis, Utah and Millard counties, including burglary, forgery, identity fraud, theft, criminal mischief, disorderly conduct, drug charges and traffic violations, and he agreed to enter a drug treatment center.
Nielson later became an inspirational figure to the young men he worked with — like Kimball, who was Nielson's employee for two years, and his friend for years after that.
Kimball said the last two weeks of Nielson's life, in which he fell into substance abuse and "was suffering," don't define the man.
In July, Nielson was charged in Sandy Justice Court with misdemeanor assault and domestic violence in the presence of a child. He pleaded not guilty to both counts. In September, he was charged again in Sandy Justice Court with similar charges from another alleged incident, to which he also had pleaded not guilty.
Then on Dec. 6, Sandy police say, Nielson went into the apartment of his wife's friend, where his wife was sleeping, ripped the sheets off and pinched her. He was charged in 3rd District Court with misdemeanor counts of assault and criminal trespass, and his wife filed a protective order against him.
Nielson's Facebook photos show his wife and their three children smiling as they pose for family portraits. His wife has a pre-teen daughter from a previous relationship, and they had two sons together; one is 6, and the other is a toddler.
Nielson's death is Utah's third homicide of the year. All three were police shootings.
Last year, Utah officers shot and killed 14 people, the highest number in at least five years. Seven other people were shot by law enforcement last year but survived.
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