Crime tape and a heavy police presence surround a 7-11 in Tayorsville on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021. Two police officers and a suspect were shot while exchanging gunfire near 4100 S. Redwood Road. Laura Seitz, Deseret News
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — Officers involved in a police shooting in Taylorsville this week are recovering, but some ask questions about why this shooting happened in the first place.
A shooting on Wednesday left two West Valley officers wounded and fatally wounded the suspect, Anei Joker.
Read More: Two officers injured and a suspect dead in a Taylorsville shootout
Both officers are now in stable condition, according to WVC Police.
Joker had a criminal history before this event. He’d previously pled guilty after shooting another young man in 2019, according to an article from the Deseret News.
A judge sentenced Joker to serve prison time for the event, but a plea deal reduced that charge to a misdemeanor.
He was released and put on probation a little over a year after Joker was sentenced, according to an article from KSL.com.
The Utah Fraternal Order of Police is asking tough questions about why there are violent offenders back out on the streets.
President of the Utah FOP Brent Jex told KSL TV that he hoped this would be an example of why violent offenders shouldn’t be cut slack.
Officers from the Unified Police are still investigating the incident, reported Sheriff Rosie Rivera with UPD.
The injured UPD officer left the hospital and should make a full recovery.
The West Valley City PD officer is stable and still recovering at the hospital, said Rivera.