Officials identify Provo officer killed in line of duty - East Idaho News
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Officials identify Provo officer killed in line of duty

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SALT LAKE CITY — Officials on Sunday identified the Provo police officer who was killed while trying to apprehend a fugitive in Orem.

Joseph Shinners, 29, was shot in the line of duty just before 10 p.m. near the Bed Bath and Beyond in Orem located at 50 W. University Parkway.

Shinners was transported to Utah Valley Hospital in critical condition but died from his injuries just before midnight, according to Rich Ferguson, Provo chief of police.

RELATED | Provo police officer dead after shooting in Orem

Shinners, a Boston area native, was a 3-year veteran to the department and a member of the SWAT team. He was also a husband and a father to a “little boy,” Ferguson said.

During the apprehension, the fugitive was also shot at least once and transported to Utah Valley Hospital. The fugitive, whose name was not released Sunday out of respect for Shinners death, is under armed supervision and in stable condition at the hospital, Ferguson said.

Officials believe the fugitive, a 40-year-old man, was homeless or living with friends in the area.

During a press conference Sunday, Ferguson gave Shinners a posthumous promotion to the rank of master officer. He described Shinners as honorable, hard-working and “decent in every single way.”

Ferguson called the incident “a tragic time for the Provo Police Department” and urged the public to “continue to value your police officers.”

“Continue to love and support officers.”

The Orem Police Department will be handling the criminal investigation and a parallel investigation will be conducted by the Utah County Officer Involved Protocol Team.

This article was first published by KSL.com. It is used here with permission.

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