This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
A Utah Highway Patrol trooper owes his life to his bullet-proof vest. The man who shot him multiple times early Friday is dead, having apparently turned his handgun on himself moments later.
UHP Sgt. Todd Royce said the wounded trooper, identified as Sgt. Paul Kotter, was one of four UHP officers assigned to security at a closed repaving work zone on Highway 193 near the intersection with Hill Field Road, roughly midway between Layton and Clearfield.
At 2:20 a.m., a Geo Metro was seen moving out of a nearby apartment complex and into the closure area, where it came to a stop. Kotter approached the vehicle to advise the driver the area was closed to traffic when the suspect — identified as 21-year-old Drew Morgan Moyer, of Layton — pulled a gun and opened fire.
Kotter, shot three times — two of the bullets striking the back of his vest, a third slug striking his buttocks — was able to return fire before going down. Moyer then sped away.
Alerted by construction workers who witnessed the incident, the other three troopers rushed to Kotter's side. Two troopers stayed with him to render aid while the third went in pursuit of the gunman.
Moments later, Moyer's vehicle crashed into the rear of a water tanker truck at the construction site. Troopers found Moyer dead inside.
Moyer is believed to have shot himself in the head, though investigators have not ruled out that he also may have been wounded in the gunfire exchange with Kotter.
Kotter, who remained alert and communicative despite his wounds, told his fellow troopers he could smell alcohol on the suspect just before the man opened fire.
Kotter, who underwent surgery later Friday to remove bullet fragments, some of which passed through his vest and into his back, was "doing well" following surgery, UHP officials reported later Friday.
Utah Court records show only a single criminal offense for Moyer. In February 2013, he was charged in Davis County Justice Court with misdemeanor counts of possessing less than an ounce of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and a traffic signal violation.
In June 2013, Moyer entered a guilty plea in abeyance to the marijuana count and the other counts were dismissed. As part of his plea agreement, the entire case was dismissed in December 2014 after Moyer completed counseling and paid a $645 court fee.
Meanwhile, SR-193 in Layton was expected to be closed until about 11 a.m. due to the incident, according to the Utah Department of Transportation, which suggested that motorists use Antelope Drive or US 89 to I-84.
Hill Air Force Base reported that it expected the base's South Gate to remain closed until after noon Friday, due to the shooting. However, the West Gate visitor center, Southwest Gate and East Gate will remain open, as well as the West Gate and Roy Gate.
Royce said Kotter — a 15-year veteran who was working the shift as overtime, reimbursed by the construction contractor — did not have a body camera on him at the time of the shooting, nor was his patrol car equipped with a dash camera.
Royce explained that because Kotter is in the training division — over the recruiting process and newly hired troopers — he spends most of his duty time in an office setting and is not assigned to a regular street patrol.
Because of this, his unmarked highway patrol vehicle is not equipped with a dash camera. But every marked UHP vehicle is equipped with a dash camera, Royce said.
Dash-camera footage from assisting UHP units at the shooting scene was being reviewed by Davis County investigators.
Royce added that UHP is in the process of equipping troopers with body cameras, but due to Kotter's assignment, a body camera has not yet been issued to him.
Twitter: @remims