Sulejman Talovic

Case identification

Sulejman Talović

Background

Sulejman Talović (October 6, 1988 – February 12, 2007) was a Bosniak refugee. His family moved to the United States from the small town of Cerska in the Vlasenica municipality of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the family lived in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Talović was a permanent resident who emigrated with his family from Bosnia to the United States in 1998. He received a green card in 2005 and lived with his mother in Salt Lake City. He had dropped out of high school at age 16. He had a record of minor juvenile incidents.

Talović often attended Friday prayers at the Al-Noor mosque in Salt Lake City.

Talović was buried in his birthplace, a small village of Talovići near Cerska, Bosnia and Herzegovina on March 2, 2007.

The offence

On February 12, 2007, Talović went on a shooting rampage at Trolley Square, a Salt Lake City shopping mall, killing five people and wounding several others before being fatally shot by police.

Investigators later said Talović was carrying a shotgun, a .38-caliber pistol, and had a backpack full of ammunition. Witnesses and authorities described him as wearing a tan trench coat. He was described as wearing a white shirt, a tan trenchcoat and a mullet. The shooting began at 6:44 PM MST.

After the shooting, police officials said the rampage was stopped by five police officers, including an off-duty officer from Ogden named Ken Hammond and several Salt Lake City officers.

The Trolley Square shooting occurred on February 12, 2007, at Trolley Square Mall in Salt Lake City, Utah. The shooting resulted in the deaths of five bystanders and the shooter himself, as well as the wounding of at least 4 others.

Investigation

Police later said Talović was carrying a shotgun, a .38-caliber pistol, and had a backpack full of ammunition. Detectives were trying to determine what sparked the rampage at the Trolley Square shopping mall.

An amateur video of the incident was captured, but little except gunfire could be heard clearly.

Investigators concluded that Talović said no religious phrase during his assault and was shouting expletives.

The FBI agent Patrick Kiernan stated that he had no reason to suspect terrorism.

Ajka Onerović said: "We are Muslims, but we are not terrorists,"

Conservatives including commentator John Gibson and congressman Chris Cannon suggested that Talović repeatedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" prior to his death, implying a religious motive. Some sources reached this conclusion by listening to online video of the rampage, which supposedly captured Talović's religious shouting. Police investigators concluded Talović said no such thing.

Talović's aunt, Ajka Omerović, emerged briefly from the family's house to say relatives had no idea why the young man attacked so many strangers. She said Talović had lived in the Sarajevo area as a child, and the family moved to Utah from Bosnia. She said: "He was such a good boy. I don't know what happened," to Salt Lake City television station KSL-TV.

Talović's father, Suljo Talović, stated that he and the family were concerned that some outside influence might have induced Sulejman to commit the killings. He said: "I think this [Sulejman] did. I think somebody (is) behind him, I think, but I am not sure...." Suljo Talović suggested that the US government bore some responsibility for his son's actions, saying: "The authorities are guilty for not alerting us that he bought a gun. In the US, you cannot buy cigarettes if you are underaged, but you can buy a gun."

A contrast to that concern was stated: federal law prohibited the sale of handguns and handgun ammunition to those under 21; shotguns and shotgun ammunition were prohibited to those under 18.

Arrest

Talović was fatally shot by police during the confrontation at Trolley Square.

The final confrontation occurred in the Pottery Barn Kids home furnishing store. Talović was cornered and was shooting at officers until an active shooter contact team comprised of Salt Lake City PD SWAT team members arrived and shot him.

Timeline

• February 12, 2007 (6:44 PM MST) — Talović began a deadly shooting in Trolley Square, killing five bystanders and the shooter himself, and wounding at least 4 others.
• February 13, 2007 — Police thanked Hammond as a hero in saving lives.
• February 16, 2007 — Five officers were honored at the Utah state capitol for their bravery in the Trolley Square shooting.
• March 2, 2007 — Talović was buried in Talovići near Cerska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Trial

No trial information was provided.

Sentencing

No sentencing information was provided.

Outcome

Talović was shot dead by police the same day as the shooting rampage.

The shooting spree resulted in the deaths of five bystanders and the shooter himself, and the wounding and hospitalization of at least four other people.

Victims killed

• Teresa Ellis, 29
• Brad Frantz, 24
• Kirsten Hinckley, 15
• Vanessa Quinn, 28
• Jeffery Walker, 53

Wounded and hospitalized

• Carolyn Tuft, 43 (mother of Kirsten Hinckley)
• Shawn Munns, 34
• Stacy Hansen, 53
• Alan "A.J." Walker, 16 (son of Jeffery Walker)

After the shooting, Tuft and Hansen were listed in critical condition, and Munns and Walker were listed in serious condition.

One injured 16-year-old boy was found in his car with a wound to the side of his head. Another, Cedric Wilson, was grazed in the head by a bullet but suffered only minor injuries.

Aftermath

Personal aftermath and witnesses

• People left candles and flowers at two memorials outside the mall for the victims.
• Many people who had been forced to leave their cars overnight returned Tuesday to pick them up and reflect on what happened.
• Police swarmed the scene as streets were blocked outside the mall.

Witness accounts and events inside and around the mall

• Steve Farr said: "I've worked here for 28 years. It's been the safest place to be," and reported seeing pools of blood and broken glass throughout the mall when he was allowed in to check his jewelry store.
• Marie Smith said: "His expression stayed totally calm. He didn't seem upset, or like he was on a rampage," and she also said: "I looked like "an average Joe," and reported watching the gunman raise his gun and fire at a young woman approaching him from behind. She said she crawled to an employee restroom to hide with others.
• Matt Lund said: "We heard them say, 'Police! Drop your weapon!' Then we heard shotgun fire. Then there was a barrage of gunfire," and: "It was hard to believe." He also said: "On the way out, Lund said, he saw a woman's body face-down at the entrance to the Pottery Barn Kids store and a man's body on the floor in the mall's east-west corridor." Lund said: "There were a lot of blown-out store windows and shotgun shell casings all over the floor," and: "It was quite surreal."
• Witnesses said officers treated people like suspects, ordering those hiding in storerooms, bathrooms or under stairwells to lie on the floor with their hands on their heads until police were sure no one posed a threat.
• Barrett Dodds said: "I saw the shooter go down," and described the gunman exchanging gunfire with a police officer outside a card store and being backed into a children's clothing store.
• Barb McKeown said: "Then we heard shot after shot after shot — loud, loud, loud," and she said she heard about 20 shots. She and three other people hid under a staircase until it was safe to leave.

Hard Rock Cafe incident

• One victim, having been shot, apparently entered the nearby Hard Rock Cafe and told customers to lock the doors.

Off-duty officer account Kenneth K. Hammond, who had been at the mall for an early Valentine’s Day dinner with his wife, said the sound of gunfire first seemed like construction noise. He said: "I've been in situations before where I've had to chase a guy who was pointing a gun at me," and he said he told his wife to call the police when he realized what was happening. Hammond said: "I feel like I was there and did what I had to do," and: "We were there for a reason. I had my gun on me for a reason. We decided to eat dessert, which we never do, for a reason," and: "Everything happened for a reason."

Hammond’s background and immediate actions were described: he fired on Talović and was credited with drawing the gunman's attention until other officers could reach the scene. Police said it was unclear which officer fired the fatal shot.

Kenneth K. Hammond was 33 during the incident. It was stated that Talovic was killed, but which officer fired the fatal shot was unclear.

Communications and emergency response detail

• Hammond had wife Sarita Hammond, and Sarita Hammond was described as a 911 dispatcher.
• Sarita Hammond borrowed a waiter's cell phone to call 911.

Injury account involving Shawn Munns

• According to sister-in-law Jodie Sparrow, Shawn Munns, 34, was alone outside the mall after a meal with his wife and two stepchildren when Talović blasted him with a shotgun.
• Sparrow said: "With dozens of pellets embedded in his side, Munns staggered into a restaurant and warned diners about the gunman, Sparrow said."

Honours for officers Five officers were honored at the Utah state capitol on February 16 for their bravery in the Trolley Square shooting. They were:

• Sgt. Andrew Oblad, Salt Lake City Police Department
• Sgt. Joshua Scharman, Salt Lake City Police Department
• Detective Dustin Marshall, Salt Lake City Police Department
• Detective Brett Olsen, Salt Lake City Police Department
• Officer Kenneth Hammond, Ogden Police Department

Victim memorial statements and property owner statement

• Owner Tom Bard said in a statement posted on the KSL-TV Web site: "We are devastated and shocked by this senseless, random act of violence and tragedy at Trolley Square, owner Tom Bard said in a statement posted on the KSL-TV Web site. "At this time our greatest concern and prayers are with the victims, their families and loved ones."

Mall description and business details

• Trolley Square was a two-story mall southeast of downtown, described as a refurbished trolley barn built in 1908 with winding hallways, brick floors and wrought-iron balconies, and about 80 stores.
• The mall included retailers such as Williams-Sonoma and restaurants such as the Hard Rock Cafe.
• The mall was purchased in August by Scanlan Kemper Bard Cos. of Portland, Oregon, from Simon Property Group for $38.6 million.
• The company said it planned to invest $80 million, attract a new anchor tenant and possibly add condominiums.

Additional operational account

• One report said several witnesses reported that a majority of the shooting took place on the ground floor near the Pottery Barn store, though the majority of the dead were found in Cabin Fever, a card store.

Education and enrollment

• It was stated that Talovic was enrolled in numerous city schools before withdrawing in 2004.

Other details

Ajka Onerović was quoted saying: "We are Muslims, but we are not terrorists," and it was also stated that relatives had no idea why Talović attacked so many strangers.

Police said Talović was from the Salt Lake City area; detectives did not release his name at one point.

The case included allegations and denials regarding religious shouting: some suggested Talović shouted "Allahu Akbar," while police investigators concluded he said no such thing and was shouting expletives.

The case included a claim that the state Senate wanted to honor Hammond, with Police Chief Jon Greiner described as being also a state senator.