Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill has ruled that a Salt Lake City police officer was legally justified in shooting a 19-year-old man who appeared to raise a rock as if to throw it during a May 12, 2025, foot pursuit along railroad tracks. The suspect, Carlos Felipe Ocampo-Flores, survived the gunfire and later pleaded guilty to several charges tied to the chase and crash. Gill’s decision closes the county’s criminal review of the incident, even as it puts local pursuit tactics and use-of-force policies back under the microscope.
At a press conference announcing the decision, Gill said his office reviewed body-worn camera footage, investigative reports, and court records before concluding that the officer’s perception of imminent danger was reasonable, according to KSL. Gill pointed to the critical sequence in which the officer fell and the suspect lifted an object above him as key to that finding. The ruling follows an outside protocol review of the shooting and the department’s earlier release of video from the encounter.
Bodycam Shows Chase, Fall And Raised Object
The Salt Lake City Police Department released several body-worn-camera clips in May that show an attempted traffic stop near North Temple and 600 West, a crash into parked vehicles, and a later foot chase along railroad tracks near 100 South and 700 West, as outlined by the Salt Lake City Police Department. In the footage, an officer catches up to Ocampo-Flores, trips on the rocky ballast, and falls. From the ground, he shouts commands as the suspect stands over him, raises his right arm with an object, and appears to prepare to throw it. The officer then fires three shots. Backup officers use a Taser, medics treat Ocampo-Flores at the scene and he is taken to a hospital.
Charges, Plea And Sentence…