- A Murray police officer was legally justified in shooting Joshua Vanhorn on March 27, 2025, the district attorney said.
- Vanhorn threw knives at officers after barricading himself during an eviction.
- Vanhorn pleaded guilty to assault charges and was placed on three years of probation.
MURRAY — A Murray police officer was found to be legally justified in shooting a man in the hand after the man refused to leave an apartment and threw two knives at officers.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office announced Friday that officer Kevin Marquardson was justified in using deadly force against 34-year-old Joshua Matthew Vanhorn on March 27, 2025.
On that day, Vanhorn barricaded himself inside his apartment, 163 W. Fireclay Ave., after being notified he was being evicted and had 15 minutes to get out, according to District Attorney Sim Gill’s final report. After Murray police arrived to assist in removing him, “officers heard Mr. Vanhorn lighting something inside his bedroom and observed flames coming toward them out cracks in the bedroom door.”…