Police probe motive of Bosnia-born teen shooter
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah (AP) -- Investigators are struggling to figure out why a trench-coated 18-year-old opened fire in a Salt Lake City mall, killing five people before being gunned down by police.
Sulejmen Talovic wanted "to kill a large number of people" and probably would have killed many more if not for the off-duty officer who confronted him Monday evening, Police Chief Chris Burbank said.
That officer, Ken Hammond, from Ogden, north of Salt Lake City, heard gunfire shortly after finishing dinner with his wife.
He cornered the gunman, exchanging fire with him until other officers arrived, Burbank said. (Watch police detail the shooter's steps)
"There is no question that his quick actions saved the lives of numerous other people," the police chief said.
Hammond said he was only doing what any fellow officer would have done.
"I feel like I was there and did what I had to do," Hammond told reporters. (Full story)
Police said it was not immediately clear who fired the shot that killed Talovic.
Talovic had a backpack full of ammunition, a shotgun and a .38-caliber pistol, police said.
From Bosnia to Utah
Talovic's aunt, Ajka Onerovic, emerged briefly from the family's house to say relatives had no idea why the young man attacked so many strangers. She said the family moved to Utah from Bosnia.
"He was a such a good boy. I don't know what happened," she told Salt Lake City television station KSL.
The teen was enrolled in numerous city schools before withdrawing in 2004, the school district said.
Koji kreten. ionako nam je reputacija ovdje nikakva i sad jos ovo ce se pocet vrtit na tvu svaki dan