Prosecutors in Box Elder County say they will seek the death penalty against the gunman accused of shooting and killing two Tremonton police officers.
The Box Elder County Attorney’s Office announced late Wednesday night that prosecutors have filed two aggravated murder charges against Ryan Michael Bate, 32. The office said prosecutors have filed a “notice of intent” to seek the death penalty.
Bate is accused of shooting and killing Sgt. Lee Sorensen and Officer Eric Estrada on Sunday night, when the two Tremonton-Garland Police Department officers responded to what was believed to be a domestic disturbance. Bate was later arrested at the scene and booked into the Weber County jail, where he has been held without bail ever since.
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Police officers and family members at a vigil in Tremonton to honor two city police officers who were killed and a sheriff’s deputy who was wounded.
[Related: Here’s what we know about the two police officers who were shot and killed in Tremonton.]
In addition to the two aggravated murder charges, both capital offenses eligible for the death penalty if Bate is convicted, prosecutors have filed 18 additional charges:
• Four counts of attempted aggravated murder, all first-degree felonies.
• Three counts of possessing or removing an explosive, chemical or incendiary device, all second-degree felonies.
• One count of endangering a police service K-9, a third-degree felony.
• Two counts of possession of a dangerous weapon with criminal intent, both class A misdemeanors.
• Three charges of assault, all class A misdemeanors.
• One count of unlawful detention, a class A misdemeanor.
• One count of threat of violence, a class A misdemeanor.
• Three counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child, all class B misdemeanors.
Also, according to Wednesday’s announcement, the prosecutor in Box Elder County has decided to refile a domestic violence case against Bate that was dismissed on Aug. 27, 2024. That case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors had the option to file the charge again.
How the shooting unfolded
The charging document, filed Wednesday in Utah 1st District Court in Brigham City, includes a probable-cause statement that gives a narrative of how law enforcement officers say the shooting happened.
According to the probable-cause statement, Bate argued with his wife and then violently assaulted her several times. He then held her down on their bed, and “repeatedly threatened to kill her.” The statement said three children “were present during these events.”
Bate’s wife then called dispatchers and hung up “in an effort to summon law enforcement.”
The first officer arrived in his marked police vehicle and in uniform, the statement said. Tremonton police have not said which officer got to the house first.
The officer spoke to Bate’s wife, who “assured [the officer] there was no physical violence,” and the officer was beginning to leave.
Then, according to the statement, Bate retrieved a rifle and shot at the officer’s vehicle but missed. The officer parked the car and called for backup. He “then got out of his car,” the statement said, “and the wife ran down the street yelling that [Bate] had a gun.”
The officer crossed the street to help Bate’s wife when, according to the statement, Bate shot and killed the officer.
The second officer arrived shortly after and found the first officer lying in the road, the statement said. As the second officer “rushed to provide aid” to his colleague, it added, Bate fired again, hitting and killing that officer.
Box Elder Sheriff’s Deputy Mike Allred then arrived in his marked vehicle, with his K-9, Azula, in the back. The statement said Bate fired two more shots, “barely missing [Allred] but causing him injuries.” The bullets also struck the K-9 cage, injuring Azula, the document said.
Then, according to the statement, a neighbor in a silver vehicle — one law enforcement officials said “looked like an unmarked police vehicle” — drove down the street. Bate fired a shot that hit the vehicle, the document explained, “barely missing the driver,” who left the scene.
The statement said Bate then approached the place where the two officers fell, holding a revolver and a rifle, “as he continued to look around for other targets.” Eventually, the document said, Bate “was subdued and taken into custody.”
While searching the home, the statement said, officers found three Molotov cocktails.
Past encounters with police
Court records show Bate has a history of run-ins with authorities across northern Utah. He faced charges related to domestic violence in a 2021 case, which resulted in a plea deal, and in the dismissed 2024 case that prosecutors refiled Wednesday.
In 2021, Bate was charged with domestic violence assault and disorderly conduct. The then-judge in that case, Kevin Christensen of the Tremonton City Justice Court, put him under pretrial supervision and ordered him to complete a drug and alcohol evaluation.
(Earlier this year, Christensen was charged with multiple counts for allegedly distributing and receiving child sex abuse material online. He pleaded not guilty last month.)
Bate’s guilty plea to the assault charge did not result in jail time. Bate reached an agreement with the court and Tremonton’s city attorney that he serve probation for a year and pay a fine instead. The disorderly conduct charge was also dismissed as a part of that deal.
In the 2024 case, Bate was charged with aggravated assault, three counts of domestic violence in front of a child and a property damage — all dismissed at the time. The Box Elder County Attorney’s Office did not reply Wednesday to a question about why the charges were tossed.
Court records from that case state that Bate broke a chair during an argument with his wife. She also told police that he had grabbed her by the neck and threw her onto a couch. Bate’s wife reported that he had grabbed her by the neck and bruised her right arm during an altercation the week before.
Note to readers • Those who are experiencing intimate partner violence, or know someone who is, can call the Utah Domestic Violence Link Line, 1-800-897-LINK (5465), or the statewide sexual assault line run by the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault at (801) 736-4356 and in Spanish: Línea de Apoyo de Violencia Sexual las 24 Horas de Utah: (801) 924-0860.