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Show Police Officer Shot FARMINGTON -- A Layton police officer is reported re-ported in "improved condi-' condi-' tion" today after being acci-dently acci-dently shot by his own weapon while on a search for an escaped inmate of the Utah State Prison. CPL. DALE May, 31, a 9-year 9-year veteran with the Layton Police Department, suffered a wound in his left hip and leg when his pistol accidently discharged dis-charged as he was placing it in his shoulder holster. Lt. Morton Mor-ton D. Sparks, commander of the Layton Tactical Squad, said the bullet entered near. Cpl. May's left hip and exited near his knee. However, the police officer suffered only flesh wounds as the bullet did not strike any bones, according to a hospital spokesperson. CPL. MAY was with 16 other Davis County lawmen searching the mountains east of Farmington for a convicted murderer who had escaped from the Utah State Prison and was believed to be in the area. Hardy escaped from the prison's maximum security unit after overpowering a guard and using the guard's uniform to walk past guards at the front gate. He then fled from the prison in the guard's car. THE STOLEN auto was later la-ter found abandoned in City Creek Canyon and Hardy was believed to have hiked overthe mountain into Davis County. Hardy was convicted of first-degree murder of a Hill Air Force Base airman in the parking lot of a Kaysville tavern in 1979. While awaiting trial, he escaped from the Davis County Jail but was recaptured re-captured a short time later in Murray. He had worked and lived in Farmington. grb |