About Mr. Harmon:
Patrick Harmon Sr. was pulled over on August 13, 2017 by the Salt Lake City Police Department (SLC PD) for not having a tail light on his bicycle.
Mr. Harmon survived on the margins of society, struggling to keep a home, retain employment, and stay on the right side of the law. He did not, however, live a wasted life for he fathered two accomplished and loving children: Patrick Harmon Jr. and Tasha Smith.
Born on October 15, 1968 in St. Louis, Missouri, Mr. Harmon moved to Salt Lake City as a young man and entered the job corps. There he quickly fell in love with a young woman and they became pregnant with his son Patrick Jr.
Throughout his life, Mr. Harmon moved to various US cities in search of work to support his family without any luck. Depressed by a lack of economic opportunity, Mr. Harmon entered the downward spiral that oppresses many persons of color: Lack of employment leads to a criminal record, which leads to even more decreased employment opportunities, and so forth. Mr. Harmon found himself in and out of prison, losing touch with his family in the process. However, Mr. Harmon kept in frequent contact with his children over the phone and made sure that they were being taken care of.
In 2010, Mr. Harmon reconnected with his children. Their reunification was one of unadulterated joy. Mr. Harmon was extremely proud that both of his children had grown up right, succeeding in all the areas in which he had failed. Patrick Jr. and Tasha badly wanted Mr. Harmon in their lives and had high hopes of rebuilding their familial bond with their father at the time of his death.
On the day Mr. Harmon was killed, August 13, 2017, SLC PD Officer Kris Smith was on patrol in downtown Salt Lake City and observed Mr. Harmon riding a bicycle without a red tail light. Based on this apparent violation of a local traffic ordinance, Officer Smith stopped Mr. Harmon. Mr. Harmon volunteered to Officer Smith that he likely had an outstanding warrant for a years’ old prior incident.
Officer Smith returned to his patrol car to run a warrant check while Mr. Harmon stood calmly and waited for the officer’s return. Soon after, SLC PD officers Clinton Fox and Scott Robinson arrived on scene and the warrant for Mr. Harmon’s arrest was verified.
The officers told Mr. Harmon that he was going to be arrested and asked him to remove his backpack and place his hands behind his back. Mr. Harmon complied, while begging the officers to let him go. As the officers began handcuffing him, Mr. Harmon jolted forward, running away from the officers. All three officers pursued Mr. Harmon. Officer Fox immediately drew his weapon. Just two seconds after drawing his gun, Officer Fox yelled to Mr. Harmon, “I’ll fucking shoot you!” and immediately fired three shots in rapid succession – all three hitting Mr. Harmon. Patrick Harmon Sr. was pronounced dead just after midnight.
Six days after Mr. Harmon’s death, and after speaking with an attorney, Officer Fox alleged that he shot Mr. Harmon because he had a knife and stated that he was going to cut or stab the officers. A knife was discovered on scene, and was claimed to be recovered near Mr. Harmon’s body. However:
- Body camera footage did not capture Mr. Harmon saying anything having to do with stabbing/cutting the officers or holding a knife.
- The officers never asked Mr. Harmon to drop his weapon
- The officers did not attempt to secure the knife after Mr. Harmon had been subdued
- Officer Fox used a knife to remove Mr. Harmon’s clothes to identify his wounds
- Multiple officers initially saw the knife and thought it was an EMT knife belonging to one of the officers
- The knife was branded “Castleview Hospital”, a rural community hospital in Price, UT, 120 miles from Salt Lake City
- The knife was a “rescue knife” used for emergency situations. This particular knife featured a glass breaker and strap cutter to assist in vehicle rescues
- The SLC PD quickly disposed of this knife before conducting any testing to determine the presence of fingerprints or other evidence that could help establish possession of the knife.
- The only other weapon used to subdue Mr. Harmon was a taser pulled out by one officer