‘It doesn’t make any sense’: Friends, family baffled by events that led to police shooting Cody Evans

Provo • The night before Cody Evans was shot to death by police in Utah County, he was planning a date for Valentine's weekend and chatting with friends.

"He was the happiest he'd ever been," said Evans' brother Glenn Bourque as tears dripped down his cheeks Monday. "I just don't understand."

As Evans' family and friends gathered Monday night at a candlelight vigil in Provo's Pioneer Park, many were mystified as to how the Springville 24-year-old's carefree Saturday night transformed into a deadly Sunday, starting with a domestic violence report from his wife and ending in a showdown with police, who shot Evans as he allegedly brandished an airsoft replica of an AR-15.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this," said friend Tanna Deason.

Bourque said he was with Evans and Evans' wife Saturday night. The couple had separated but remained close, and were planning a date to a monster trucks exhibition, Bourque said.

But at 7:59 a.m. Sunday, Evans' wife made a "chaotic" 911 call, reporting a "domestic violence incident" at her home, near 1300 West and 1500 North in Provo, said Provo police Lt. Brandon Post. The woman said Evans had a BB gun and was going to attempt to commit "suicide by cop," police said.

"It looks real," the woman said of the black replica assault rifle. Evans was "going to use it when officers pull him over" to force police to shoot him, the woman told dispatchers.

Officers soon found Evans inside his truck at the end of a cul-de-sac near 1600 West and 500 North in Provo. He refused to speak to them but displayed a black rifle and racked it, making "a distinct 'metal on metal' sound," police wrote in a statement Monday.

That sound led officers to fear the rifle was real and not the airsoft replica described by Evans' wife, police wrote. The officers got out ballistic shields while Evans threatened to shoot them and ram their cruisers if they didn't let him go, police wrote.

Evans eventually led officers on a chase, but it was called it off after Evans allegedly ran a red light and crossed into oncoming traffic lanes, "threatening to ram an officer," police wrote.

While officers searched for Evans, investigators at his wife's house found a realistic airsoft replica of a hunting-style rifle, raising even more concern that the gun Evans had in his truck was a real firearm.

At about 9:30 a.m., officers found Evans' truck at a home near 1800 West and 600 South. There, officers saw Evans leave an outbuilding wearing a "tactical vest and a holster," police wrote. He wasn't carrying a rifle but "gestured like he was pointing a handgun at them." Officers took cover behind a vehicle while Evans ran to his truck, pulled out an AR-15-style rifle and "pointed it directly at officers."

"Fearing for their lives, officers engaged Evans with a total of three rounds from approximately 100 feet away," the release said. Evans died at the scene.

Investigators later determined the rifle was an airsoft. An orange tip on the muzzle of the rifle, designed to differentiate an airsoft gun from a firearm, apparently had been removed, police wrote.

"It doesn't make any sense," said William Crocker, another brother of Evans. "They knew it was fake. His wife told him from the start it was fake, and what he was planning to do with it, but they still ended up shooting him."

"I don't think he even knew how to shoot a real gun," Crocker said. Evans had taken up airsoft shooting, said Ashley Crocker, Evans' sister-in-law, who said the "tactical vest" was actually a fishing vest he used to carry gear on his airsoft shooting outings.

William Crocker said the family is hiring a lawyer to get to the bottom ofquestions left by Evans' death.

"They didn't protect and serve no one," he said. "They shot first and decided to think whether they did it right later on."

Provo police Chief John King on Monday posted a Facebook message saying he was "thankful" that "members of the Utah Valley law enforcement agencies deliberately placed themselves in harm's way to keep the people of our county safe."

Provo police have received death threats because of the shooting, KUTV 2News reported.

King said that with "All the recent criticisms of police tactics and use of force on their minds, these officers and deputies could have shied away from their sworn duty to protect, but they did not hesitate when called."

"The suspect was repeatedly given opportunities to peacefully surrender and stop his destructive behavior. Instead he pointed the realistic looking assault rifle at the officers and forced the final action."

After the shooting, officers searched the outbuilding that Evans had exited and found actual firearms inside, police said.

The two officers involved in the shooting were identified Monday as Provo police Officer Zac Lazenby and Utah County sheriff's Deputy Chris Bagley. Lazenby has eight years of law enforcement experience and Bagley has 15 years, police said.

Neither officer had a body camera, police said.

King said the shooting was being investigated by the Utah County attorney's office and that the Provo Police Department will conduct an internal administrative investigation. Both officers were placed on administrative leave.

A year ago, Evans was involved in a domestic-violence-related assault at the home where his estranged wife still lives, according to court records.

In November, Evans entered a no-contest plea in abeyance to one count of class A misdemeanor assault in 4th District Court. He was ordered to spend 10 days in jail, pay a $300 court fee and complete any treatment recommended by the Division of Child and Family Services. Evans was barred from making domestic-violence threats and was to have no weapons in his home, according to the court docket.

The assault case was to be dismissed in November 2015, providing Evans complied with the court's orders and had no new criminal violations.

"Cody had his ups and downs, but so do we all," said family friend Joe Bates. "He was a good kid. It's just a shame."

Evans' family has set up a GoFundMe account asking for help paying for funeral costs.

The Provo shooting marks the fourth fatal police-involved shooting in Utah this year.