Officers responding to a home on Jan. 1st found the bodies of two residents, identified by police as Kerry Bertelsen, 67, and Terri Bertelsen,63, at the scene and encountered the suspect, Erik Bertelsen, 35, the couple’s son viciously stabbing one of his parents according to ABC4.
In a statement posted to X at the time of the incident, the department said, “Officers also encountered the adult son of the deceased couple who also lived at the residence and is the suspect in the deaths of his parents. During the encounter, an officer fired on the suspect killing him.”Terri Bertelsen (63) - mother of suspect (deceased)
— WVC Police (@WVCPD) January 3, 2025
Kerry Bertelsen (67) - father of suspect (deceased)
Erik Bertelsen (35) - son of victims, and suspect in their homicides.
(deceased)
All three resided in the home on Enterado.
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Police said they have no information on a possible motive for the homicides.
Communications director of the WVCPD Roxeanne Vainuku told a press conference on Monday that the Department was only releasing the video due to a requirement to do so under Utah open records law.
“This video captures a suspect in the act of committing a homicide, and when you see this video, you’re going to wonder why would we release such a disturbing incident for the public to view,” she explained, telling the public. “We are compelled by our state’s open records laws to release any records that we create, and body-worn camera footage is considered a record.”
“Although graphic images have been blurred, the content of the clips has not been altered in any way,” she added.
WATCH:
Deputy Chief Mike Fossmo described the situation succinctly saying that the incident began with a call to 911 in which the dispatcher was unable to hear any details but identified the sounds of a commotion and dispatched officers to an “unknown problem.” Upon arrival the officers can be seen on the bodycam footage circling the home from the front to the side and an entrance to the basement level. Spotting something suspicious the officers entered, running down the stairs to the basement of the home.
“The suspect, who can be seen kneeling down, repeatedly stabbing one of the victims… ignored officers’ commands to show his hands and drop his weapon,” Fossmo told reporters. “He continued stabbing the victim.”
The suspect was shot and killed by an officer who fired twice after shouting commands at him to drop the weapon. After the shooting officers continued to shout commands until they concluded the suspect was deceased. The officer involved in the shooting was placed on leave as standard procedure.
“We also don’t conclude whether the officer’s actions are consistent with our policy and the law until all the facts are known and the investigation is complete,” Vainuku said according to the outlet.
The shooting is under investigation by The Salt Lake City Police Department and the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office will review the investigation’s findings to determine whether the use of force was justified or not according to ABC4.
