The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office has declined to file criminal charges against Sandy City Police officers regarding the March 22 fatal shooting of Isaac Jesse Watters. The incident involved a man who reportedly charged officers with a knife.
In a summary letter to the Sandy City Police Chief, the DA's Office stated that if a jury were called to determine if the use of deadly force by Officer Ware and/or Officer Shaddick was a criminal act, they would likely find that the officers reasonably believed such force was necessary to prevent death or serious injury.
According to a summary provided by the DA’s Office, the events began when Watters called police at 10:07 a.m. on March 22. He had requested a police presence while attempting to retrieve money from a safe at his residence after his wife changed the locks.
Police confirmed no protective order was in place and contacted the man's wife and mother-in-law, who verified there was no money in the safe. While Watters initially left the area, he returned at 3:15 p.m. and broke into the residence, according to the account shared by the DA's Office.
When officers responded and called out to him, Watters appeared in the entryway of the home. The report states that Watters insisted the officers shoot him before producing a fixed-blade knife and charging toward them. Officers drew their weapons and fired, and Watters was later declared deceased at a hospital.
The investigation into the shooting included an analysis of bodycam and dashcam video, as well as home surveillance footage and evidence collected from the scene.
