Utah Dad in Custody After Allegedly Instructing 4-Year-Old Child to Shoot at Police
A Utah dad was placed under the custody of the police on Monday after he allegedly instructed his 4-year-old child to shoot at the law enforcement officer who pulled him out from his car.
According to ABC 4, the incident took place in Midvale McDonald's around 1:30 in the afternoon on Monday.
The police noted that the incident with the officers stemmed out when the unnamed Utah dad received the wrong order at the drive-thru of the fast-food chain, per CBS News.
Witnesses Overheard Utah Dad Telling Child to Shoot
As the Utah dad received his order wrong, the man reportedly "brandished a firearm" and the fast-food crews asked the man to drive in front of the store while they fix his order.
Unified Police Department Sgt. Melody Cutler said that the workers from the fast-food chain immediately called the law enforcement authorities to ask for help, Khon 2 reported.
According to reports, officers issued "several verbal commands" to the Utah dad for him to exit the car. However, the man refused to respond to their pleas.
As the police were getting the suspect from custody, an officer turned back and was surprised that a gun was pointing at them from the back window of the car.
The gun was reportedly swiped by an officer, but it was fired. Cutler said that the officer then noticed that the shooter was a child and then he yelled "kid" to alert the other officers who responded at the scene.
Witnesses mentioned that they heard the Utah dad instruct the child to shoot.
While the gun was fired by the child, the police noted that another 3-year-old kid was also present at the back of the car.
The said bullet shot through the banner of McDonald's and the officer who wiped the gun sustained minor injuries.
Utah Shooting Incident Under Investigation
Authorities underscored that the shooting involving the Utah dad and his four-year-old child is still under investigation.
The Utah dad was reportedly placed under the custody of the police. However, officials did not mention where he was held at the moment.
CBS News noted that the Utah dad is interviewed while he was held under the custody of the law enforcement officers.
Meanwhile, it was still unclear about what happened to the child who shot at the officer, and the other 3-year-old that was present after the incident.
In the light of the shooting, The Unified Police Department released a statement, calling the incident a "sad day for law enforcement" and their community.
"To have an adult think it is okay to encourage a four-year-old to pull a firearm and shoot at police illustrates how out of hand the campaign against police has gotten," the Unified Police Department said, per ABC 4.
The Department then underscored that the law enforcement officers are present "to protect and serve" the community.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written By: Joshua Summers
WATCH 4-Year-Old Fires Gun at Officers During Midvale Shooting Incident - From FOX 13 News Utah
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