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Show EmonrCounty Progress, Castle Dale, Utah - Tuesday, January 5, 1999 7B Pleasant Grove woman witnesses death of son, contends lethal force A mother who witnessed the shooting other son by police said the police were not justified in taking lethal force. Debbie Walker affirmed that her suicidal son had only a razor blade in his hand when he was gunned down while standing in the glare of police car headlights chase in following a a stolen car. Police say it was a knife that officers thought was a than to trust (the police)? Debbie Walker asked. We trusted the system and the system is screwing us gun. Just before 6 p.m. Tuesday, David Walker called his parents and told them he was going to kill himself. The Walkers daughter called police and told them he was making the call from a gas station in Orem, stated Debbie high-spee- d It was obvious he was going to kill himself indicated Walker. It didnt have to escalate to this. There was no confrontation. I cant lie and say they were justified. What they did was wrong. The police have different view of what took place Tuesday night in the shooting death of David Walker. The fact both officers reacted the same way lends some credence to the idea there was a perceived threat, said Utah County Sheriffs Lt. Ron Fernstedt. "He turned toward them in a shooting stance. The officers made a two-hande- d one-secon- decision that we will for months. about gue d ar- we do wrong other over. Dave and Debbie Walker first contacted police Sunday night to report that their 1984 yellow Subaru had been stolen from their home. They later discovered their son had taken the vehicle. Walker. fied. I just feel terrible. What did dren when she heard sirens and saw her son arrive. She said he stepped out of his car and into the headlights of suiTounding police cars. He was 20-2- 5 feet away from shot him. After he fell to the ground, they shot him again. lice They fired six shots. I was shouting to them, ' He doesnt have a gun, Debbie Walker said. Police said Walker was shot several times. Sheriff s Sgt. Jerry Monsen said police were about 35 to 45 feet away from Walker when he was shot. When asked whether officers warned Walker before shooting him, Pleasant Grove Police Lt. Tom Paul said his officer heard the Orem officer say something to Walker Bodies recovered from fatal aircraft incident The wreckage of a singleengine airplane that crashed in the Oquirrh Mountains west of Salt Lake, killing two men, was discovered on Friday. The plane, which dropped off radar at 3:15 p.m. Thursday during an unexpected snowstorm, was in the Route Traffic Control Center. It may feel like youre fly- ing straight when actually youre in a spiral. Its amazing. Not all pilots are licenced to fly when visibility is less than five miles, Scadden said. In such conditions, pilots must rely on gauges and instruments to keep the plane above mountains Kennecotts Bingham copper flying evenly. Investigators were not cer- mine. The pilot, attorney tain whether the pilot was li- Michael Wray, contacted the tower at the Salt Lake International Airport to say he was having trouble seeing in the snow and fog. He told control that he felt the plane was upside down, said Salt Lake County Sheriffs Sgt. Jim Potter said. He was feeling disoriented and weak. Wray and Creed Julian apparently flew out of Salt Lake Airport II in West Jordan Thursday morning, on a business trip to Reno, Nev. They ran into a storm and landed in Wendover along the Nevada border. The two waited a couple of hours before heading back to Airport II in West Jordan, where they encountered the storm. Its hard to tell which way is up in weather like that, said Douglas Scadden, who works at the Salt Lake Air investigation. Debbie Walker said investigators were tearing our house to bits looking for evidence ... evidence of what, we dont know. Fernstedt said officers were David Walker fled when he saw police, leading officers from three cities on a chase through the foothills of northeast Orem and to the Walker home in Lehi. Debbie Walker was at home with her daughter and grandchil- Fernstedt said its easy to the police. He had a razor knife think about what could have to his wrist, she said. The po- been done after any incident. They were in an isolated yard without the best lighting in the world, and somebody turns holding his hands like he had a gun in them what do you decide? he said. Ive been shot and hit, and its not a lot of fun. You dont wait for someone to shoot you. Orem police Sgt. Harold Peterson and Pleasant Grove officer John Clayton have been placed on administrative leave while an authorities investigate whether the shooting was justi- Debbie Walker said an hour passed alter her son was gunned down before police allowed her family to go to American Fork Hospital, where he died at 8:07 p.m. of a gunshot wound to the chest. We were told we couldnt touch him, she said. We couldnt kiss his cheek or hold him. We couldnt say goodbye to our son. Police put the Walkers up in a hotel while they continued their censed to fly in conditions, Potter said. ty Three other planes had following normal procedures of securing a crime scene when they held the Walkers for questioning and searched their home. He denied police threw Debbie Walker to the ground or made a mess of her home, as she alleged. We tried to accommodate them in every way possible. But it is an unfortunate incident, Fernstedt said. They have our deepest sympathy for them and for officers and their families also. Debbie Walker said her son was twice divorced and was desperate when he stole the familys car. He left behind two children. He felt like there was no hope, she said. He just got off drugs, he wasnt able to see his children for Christmas, he didnt have a place to live. He told me tonight he stole the car to sleep in it. David Walker pleaded guilty to theft in 1995 and 1997. He divorced his second wife, Tandi Sleight, earlier this year. Sleight filed a protective order against Walker in 1997. Pre-wint- er watering follows sod - laying project Following the recent placement of sod, Jeremiah Wood of Helper spends his time in the front yard making final preparations for the winter season. He hopes that his efforts will lead to the establishment of a healthy lawn. Wood indicates that he en tBsms' By JOHN FORD Financial adviser Most people learn early about the importance of earning money to make a comfortable life for ourselves and our families. Once you begin to have an income, you are bombarded with messages about saving and investing for the future. While these messages are important, its difficult to save and invest if you dont know how much money you have and where its going. Creating a personal budget can help you keep track of your money without it becoming a time consuming chore. Laying out exactly where overlooked: Evaluate the value of extra expenses. How important is cable TV for you and your family? Do you need to make that run to the coffee shop once, or even twice, a day? A few dollars each day dont seem like much at the time, but they add up to significant sums of money at the end of the year. Take advantage of your local library. If a chunk of your income goes to buying books, CDs or tapes, consider using the library. There you have cost-fre- e access to literature, music and information. Its also a great place to find entertaining and enlightening material for children. Control mwwi flint n wmMM MlflMt m kMt yarn If you have reduced your spending as much as possible and still arent able to save as much as youd like, consider a seasonal job. Different times of the year mean staffing up for retail establishments, and you might bring in extra cash by working as little as one additional morning on the weekend. Pay yourself first. A payroll savings plan can be an excellent tool to discipline yourself to save regularly. Youll be surprised at how quickly even small amounts will add up over time - and how little youll miss the cash if it never enters your pocket. Knowing what you have and how your money is being spent is an important first step in getting control over your financial situation. Creating a budget and learning to live with it will put you on the road to achieving your financial goals. It will also help you realize you dont have to be wealthy to plan for a secure part-tim- e crash. Wray has been represent- California man drives 12 hours to murder estranged wife in termine the cause of the ing Christopher Fink, who with his wife Kyndra, is accused of kidnapping his malnourished son from Primary Childrens Hospital in September. The couple was bound over for trial last month. CAR CREDIT HOTLINE NO HASSLE, NO EMBARASSMENT CALL TOLL FREE 24 HOURS A DAY7 DAYS A WEEK A fully automated hotline that makes It easy. Drive a Little, Save a Lot! i tivities that can be great fun and help you discover areas of your community you didnt know about. Eliminate impulse trips to fast food restaurants. For many families a fast food trip is an easy answer when life is hectic and the kids are hungry. Skipping one trip a week and eating at home can create sizable savings in your monthly budget. Evaluate your workday expenses. The cost associated with going to work each day can put a strain on any budget. Instead of eating in restaurants, consider bringing a bag lunch to work. If public transportation is an option for you, there may be an opportunity to reduce your commuting costs by taking advantage of subways or buses. Many commuters who make the transition realize the added value of reading and relaxing time as well as the cost sav- you spend your money can also help you find places to economize. By so doing, you may be surprised at how much money you are spending on dispensable expenditures. If your budgeting exercise identifies some areas of overspending, here are a few simple ideas you may have YOUR JOB IS YOUR CREDIT iNmmn wn the move. problems during the storm, Potter said. Two private planes and a commercial passenger plane had to make emergency landings. Searchers on snowmovehicles and biles, in a helicopter searched for the plane wreckage before it was found about 8:45 a.m. An investigator with the National Transportation and Safety Board was en route to Salt Lake Friday to help de- CALL THE OSiUtuB ing Personal budgeting suggested to reduce spending entertainment spending. An evening at the movies with refreshments can be very ex- pensive for a family. Take advantage of bargain matinees offered by many cinemas during the week and on weekends. Many communities also offer free public concerts, films in the park, or other ac A man who drove 12 hours He also left written instrucfrom California with a re- tions about the care of his pet cently purchased handgun dog. Police believe Michelle wounded his estranged wife and her male friend before Atherton knew she was in danger and she had moved to killing himself, police say. Gary Atherton of Thousand Utah to get away from her Oaks, Calif., broke into his husband while she obtained a wifes four-pleapartment at divorce. There was some indication about 1:35 a.m. Friday, shot her once in the upper left that she was afraid of him, shoulder area and then shot Whinham said. Court records show she had Gilbert McKinley at least twice, said Roy police Lt. Greg obtained a temporary spouse-abus- e Whinham. Atherton, 42, then protective order against shot himself in the head, kill- Gary Atherton in 2nd District Court on Dec. 9. ing himself. Michelle Atherton, 42, was The order was served on listed in fair condition at Gary Atherton in California the next day. But it was disMcKay-De- e Hospital on Saturday and was said to be im- missed on Dec. 23, when neither side showed up for a proving. Gilbert McKinley, 42, of scheduled hearing, court Roy, was listed in critical but records say. The dismissal came just two stable condition. Both were to recover. expected days after police said Gary Inside the car Atherton had Atherton purchased a revolver in a Thousand rented Thursday in California police found a note referring Oaks gun store. to his wife and intent to take About 24 hours before his own life, said Whinham. Fridays shooting, Michelle x SE2 'Hd&B? joys his home in Helper, but says that much of his childhood was spent in Wellington. After only four months in his new home he points out that making friends has been the most difficult part of mak- .357-calib- er ings. Supplement your income with a seasonal part-tim- e job. Atherton called police after learning her husband was coming after her. Extra patrols were assigned to the neighborhood, Whinham said, and officers were alerted to the potential problem. They were watching the residence, he said. Police arrived at Athertons home just two minutes after the 911 call was placed, which probably helped save lives, Whinham said. A man inside the apart- ment, believed to be Gary Atherton, shouted at police to stay away from the apartment, then told officers to get an ambulance and encouraged Michelle Atherton to crawl through the broken glass door of her apartment. Officers surrounding the residence rushed to carry her out of the line of fire. A male inside the apartment, believed to be Gary Atherton, yelled at officers to get an ambulance for the woman, according to the po future. lice report. Sgt. Kenneth Johnson said the man yelled that police would soon hear a gunshot and after the shot, we could come into the apartment. After the gunshot, officers entered the apartment and saw Gary Atherton kneeling on the floor with a gunshot wound to the head. McKinley was lying on the floor with wounds to the neck, chest and arm. Residents in an adjacent apartment building said police mistakenly came to their building and, when the man inside, Lawrence Hartman, 45, of La Grande, Ore., refused to let them in while his wife called 911 to verify the men outside were police, Hartman said officers shot in the door. Hartman, who had been watching his grandchildren, was handcuffed for about one minute until officers confirmed they were at the wrong address. p |