This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill has ruled that a Murray police officer was justified in his use of deadly force when he returned fire to a burglary suspect in February.

Six hours after the initial shooting exchange, a SWAT team entered the home where the Tyler Persellin had retreated, and found him dead.

The medical examiner subsequently determined he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his head.

Gill said Persellin, a 29-year-old Midvale man, was not hit by any of the officer's bullets.

In Gill's letter to Murray Police Chief Craig Burnett and Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder, he justifies Officer Michael Walker's actions because the officer was acting in defense of himself and others present.

On the night of Feb. 21, two women were in their home watching a movie when they heard "glass break and other items being damaged in the basement," the letter says. They ran out of the house through the garage and noticed a car belonging to an ex-boyfriend — Persellin — parked near the garage. The women called 911 and told dispatchers they knew Persellin owned guns but were unsure whether he was armed at that time.

Walker and another officer arrived first on the scene. The other officer went to speak to the two women, while Walker approached the open garage to see if he could find Persellin's point of entry into the home.

He could hear Persellin inside, Walker later told investigators, and moved for cover behind a vehicle parked in front of the garage. As he peered into the garage, Persellin entered the garage from the house.

Walker yelled for Persellin to lift his hands up, but instead, Persellin raised his hand and fired four rounds at the officer, Gill wrote.

Persellin's bullets did not injure Walker, police have said, but a bullet did strike his gun holster.

Walker returned fire, shooting seven rounds at Persellin, who retreated back into the house.

Walker called out "shots fired, shots fired" on his police radio and remained on the scene until he was told to leave.

The SWAT team later discovered Persellin's body.

One of the women later told officers they had installed a surveillance camera outside the home because of prior stalking incidents by Persellin, Gill wrote.

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