PROVO (ABC4 News) – Police have not released identifying information, or pressed charges against the man who shot and killed 26-year-old Jeremy Sorensen Monday night following a domestic dispute.
Sargent King with the Provo Police Department said that as Sorensen was physically fighting with an 18-year-old woman, “A passerby pulled up, yelled at Mr. Sorensen, he did not respond, produced a firearm, again gave warnings. Mr. Sorenson did not respond and the man then discharged a firearm at Mr. Sorenson.”
Bradley Henderson is a defense attorney with Canyons Law Group. He explained that there’s just too little information here to say what the police or district attorney are thinking, but the presence of a witness, the woman being attacked by Sorenson who was taken to the hospital, is a clear source of information.
Henderson said, “Self-defense is not just defense of yourself, it can be the defense of another person. As long as you’re not starting the fight, if somebody is being an aggressor towards you, you have no duty to retreat in your attempt to de-escalate the incident.”
We can deduce from the fact that the bystander was not arrested, that he was legally carrying a loaded firearm meaning he had an up-to-date concealed carry permit and a clean criminal record.
Charges coming from the District Attorney’s Office against a person that is not being detained can take weeks, even months to process so it is possible that charges will be filed.
Henderson said, “What I would say is in a hypothetical situation similar to this, there would be a very very good self-defense claim.”
We have reached out to the Utah County District Attorney to ask if charges are being processed; we have not received an answer.
