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Saratoga Springs • Sorrow and anger filled the walkway and parking lot at a candlelight vigil Sunday evening near the spot where 22-year-old Darrien Hunt was killed by police four days earlier.
About 100 people gathered to pay homage to the young man of biracial parentage who police say lunged at them with a sword.
Well-wishers and mourners sang "We Shall Overcome" and prayed and talked about the handsome young man who had his life in front of him. Susan Hunt, Darrien's mother, listened but did not speak.
Hunt was remembered as a shy but helpful guy who wanted to make the world a better place.
Family members say the sword was a decorative ornament that could not seriously harm anyone. They believe race played a role in the incident. Saratoga Springs police insist it didn't.
An independent autopsy shows he was shot six times and that the bullet that killed him entered at the center of his back, according to the family's attorney, Randall Edwards.
"This has happened so many times before," said Katie Mayangi, 22, of Orem, who did not know Hunt but is biracial. "I'm here to pay my respects, because this was a murder."
Details remain sketchy of the 9:40 a.m. shooting Wednesday near Panda Express, 1413 N. Redwood Road.
Hunt's aunt, Cindy Moss, said that because of the autopsy report, "it seems impossible he was lunging at them."
She added that Saratoga Springs police have not communicated with the family since Wednesday. "They say if you have any questions, call us. But then they won't tell us what happened."
Hunt's death occurred as residents of Ferguson, Mo., continue to call for justice in the police officer-involved shooting of 18-year-old Michael Brown.
Herb and Mary Flowers drove from Bluffdale for the vigil, although they didn't know Hunt or his family.
"An American citizen was gunned down, shot in the back," Herb Flowers said. "Obviously we're not African-Americans. But we are Americans and we're tired of this."
Mica McGriggs, 24, of Provo, who also is biracial, said she'd like to see a "national discussion" about police violence concerning people of color. "I want to be part of that conversation on issues playing out across this country."
Saratoga Springs police issued a statement earlier denying that race played a part in Hunt's death.
On its Facebook page, the police department urged patience:
"Everyone should remember that the news outlets have ratings they need to gain. They don't report facts. They use innuendo, opinion and rumor and then report it as fact," it said in part. "The real facts are being determined by an independent investigation, and not in a rushed or haphazard manner. When those facts are gathered and analyzed, they will be reviewed by independent legal authorities."
The names of the officers involved have not been released.
At an impromptu news conference before the vigil, the family's attorney asked for anyone who saw the shooting or has any information about to get in contact with him.
"We have witnesses saying that he was running when he was shot," Edwards said. "The family wants to know precisely what happened."
Moss said the family has been shown a picture snapped by a witness shortly before the shooting. It shows police talking to Hunt.
"He is relaxed and his hands are down to his side," she said. "We want to know how it went from that to a shooting."
The family is having difficulty raising funds for a burial, Moss said. It has created a fund at America First Credit Union.