FARMINGTON — A county attorney’s investigation has cleared a Salt Lake City SWAT officer in the fatal shooting of a domestic violence suspect who ran from Clearfield police and ended up taking hostages in a Farmington home Sept. 10.

Davis County Attorney Troy Rawlings said in a letter Tuesday to Salt Lake Police Chief Mike Brown that his office determined the SWAT officer “had a reasonable belief that his use of deadly force was necessary to prevent death or serious bodily injury to multiple hostages.”

The officer shot Joseph Manhard, 31, who was wanted in a Layton felony domestic violence and kidnapping incident that occurred two days earlier.

Clearfield officers spotted Manhard, who then shot at a woman and stole her car, triggering a high-speed chase south on Interstate 15. Police punctured the car’s tires in Farmington and Manhard ran across the interstate into a subdivision, taking hostages. A SWAT standoff ensued.

Not only did the county attorney’s office rule the shooting justified, but Rawlings also praised the officer “for his judgment and skill in ending an incredibly dangerous situation without the loss of innocent lives.”

Chief Brown also lauded the officer, saying in a prepared statement Wednesday, “Our officer made a difficult decision, relying on his training and experience, in a fraction of a second to save the lives of those being held hostage by a complete stranger. There is no other way to put it — his actions were heroic.”

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