He feared for his life when he fired during a Provo Black Lives Matter protest, he said. Now, he’s going to prison.

Jesse Taggart claimed he was trying to stop a deadly threat. Jurors disagreed, and a judge sentenced him to the maximum sentence.

(Bethany Baker | The Salt Lake Tribune) Jesse Taggart, who shot at an SUV during a 2020 Black Lives Matter protest in Provo in 2020, appears in court for his sentencing in Provo on Monday, April 6, 2026.

He feared for his life when he fired during a Provo Black Lives Matter protest, he said. Now, he’s going to prison.

Jesse Taggart claimed he was trying to stop a deadly threat. Jurors disagreed, and a judge sentenced him to the maximum sentence.

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