Ogden • "Stay with me ... Stay with me," begged Sgt. Stephan Zaccardi as he rushed his fallen colleague to a hospital.
"Call MacKay-Dee," Zaccardi tells dispatchers. "Tell them I’ve got an officer that’s been shot in the face. He’s conscious and breathing. ... You tell them just to be ready in the ER."
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Police chief says officers calm during shootout
Ogden interim Police Chief Wayne Tarwater said he listened to the recordings and was impressed by his officers’ ability to remain calm.
“Even though they are frantic and their voices are raised they still have the frame of mind to think,” Tarwater said.
Tarwater noted that officers are calling for medical assistance, but telling the EMTs to stage down the street so they stay safe.
Police were “able to think and still get information out,” Tarwater said.
The Salt Lake Tribune obtained the dispatch tapes through a request under the Utah Government Records Access and Management Act.
Ogden police still have 11 officers on administrative leave while a review board investigates the shooting.
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Listen to audio from the night of the shootout
The audio files may take a few moments to load.
WARNING » The audio may contain graphic material.
Audio of the main Ogden police channel: bit.ly/z3ZsbH
Audio of the service Ogden police channel: bit.ly/A7uYW5
Audio of Sgt. Stephan Zaccardi taking Jared Francom to the ER: bit.ly/xgtArE
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Dispatch tapes released Tuesday capture the chaos — as well as what went right — during a Jan. 4 gunbattle at the home of a drug suspect where six officers were wounded, one fatally.
Ambulances rushed back and forth carrying the wounded, while some officers opted not to wait for medical personnel.
"Just tell them they don’t need to wait for medical to get them to transfer," a voice says. "Just throw them into a police car and get them to MacKay now."
As Zaccardi sped to the hospital with wounded officer Jared Francom, police flooded the streets surrounding 37-year-old Michael David Stewart’s home and struggled to grasp what was happening.
Their urgency grew as officers learned the shooter was still at large. Supervisors also feared police might inadvertently be struck by friendly fire. Meanwhile, the fate of the wounded officers was unknown.
Francom, 30, who died, was a member of the Weber-Morgan Narcotics Strike Force, which was attempting to serve a search warrant at Stewart’s Jackson Avenue home.
Court documents say Stewart failed to answer the door when the strike force knocked and announced themselves. While officers searched the house, Stewart jumped from a hiding spot and opened fire, court documents say.
"We’re at 3268 Jackson. We got shots fired!" an officer shouts over the radio. "We got officers hit. I need medical. I need additional units."
Then there’s incoherent shouting. Other officers announce they’re on the way to help.
"All units responding, take cover!" a voice shouts.
The warning is punctuated by two brief bursts of gunfire.
"Be advised shots are being fired out into the area."
"... Which house is shooting?"
"... Where’s the downed officer at?"
No response.
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