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Show Was justice served? Rough draft page 95/67 page Sunny The Chronicle previews all 30 teams in today's upcoming NBA Draft. Matthew Piper thinks Allgier deserves to live through his shaming. Thursday, June 28,2007 DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE www. dailyu tahchronicle. com T h e U n i v e r s i t y o fU t a h ' s I n d e p e n d e n t S t u d e n t Voice Since 1 8 9o Vol. 117 I No. 131 ©2007 Hospital ups security Roxanne Vester Carlos Mayorga THE DAILY UTAH CHRONICLE University Hospital officials are taking extra security precautions when treating inmates after a prisoner shot and killed a corrections officer on the U campus Monday. Curtis Michael Allgier, an inmate at the Utah State Prison, was undergoing an MRI for lower back pain when he wrested a gun from his guard, Stephen Anderson, and shot him in the head, police said. Following Monday's incident, the hospital temporarily suspended inmate care. It will begin to see patients again Thursday morning, but with new security procedures in place. Two officers will now escort inmates receiving treatment—but the new policy is only a temporary fix agreed to by the Utah Department of Corrections and officials at the U Hospital. Allgier, who had received prior treatment at the hospital, is just one of thousands of inmates who are treated at the hospital each year. About 2,400 patients from state prisons or correctional facilities were treated on campus in 2006. The U has a contract with the Utah State Prison to provide treatment for inmates.However, the hospital does not assist with security for inmate visits. Corrections officers are solely responsible for security needs when prisoners use hospital facilities. The hospital has its own security policies. Inmates being treated at the U are required to enter and exit See HOSPITAL Page 3 THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Curtis Allgier is loaded into a police car after he escaped from and killed a corrections officer at the U Orthopaedic Center on Monday morning. The prison inmate stole a gun from corrections officer Stephen Anderson during a medical appointment Monday and fatally shot him. Allgier's past full of criminal ii activity Jaime Winston Following Monday's shooting, the University Hospital suspended inmate care until Thursday morning in order to establish new security procedures for inmate patients with the Utah Department of Corrections. Officials agreed that as a temporary solution, two officers must accompany each inmate while being treated at the hospital. Other hospital security measures remained unchanged. Officer killed on campus . Shooter apprehended at fast food restaurant Parker Williams STAFF WRITER Utah Department of Corrections officer Stephen Anderson was shot and killed on campus Monday when Curtis Michael Allgier, an inmate from the Utah State Prison, allegedly took the officer's gun and shot him in the head. " The shooting occurred around 7:45 a.m. at the U's Orthopaedic Center in Research Park. Allgier, whose heavily tattooed face features a swastika and the words "skin head," was in an examination room receiving treatment for back problems. Because Allgier was undergoing an MRI, his metal restraints had to be replaced with plastic ones during treatment. Police are investigating whether or not Allgier was wearing plastic FlexiCuffs when he escaped. •.•j At some point during the examiil&tion, Allgier was able to steal vfht gun from Anderson, who was /escorting him, and open fire, said U Police Chief Scott Folsom. Folsom indicated there were signs of a-struggle. Anderson, 60, died instantly. I; Allgier, 27, then fled on foot before carjacking a blue Ford Explorer at the intersection of Foothill Drive and Wakara Way. . After hearing reports of the shooting over the radio, a police officer ran Allgier's name through court records to find friends' and relatives' homes that Allgier would likely visit. •J*Police spotted and began chasCing the vehicle near 900 West and 300 South. The chase involved officers from several jurisdictions and reached speeds of 100 miles per hour. The chase ended near an Arby's restaurant at 1700 South and Redwood Road, shortly after police used spikes to immobilize Allgier's vehicle. Allgier then fled into the fast food restaurant. Police arrived at the Arby's at the same time as Shirley Smiley, 57, with her husband and son. She didn't see Allgier, but heard the "popping noise" of a gunshot inside. Police yelled, "Get down!" and the three of them dropped to the ground in the parking lot, Smiley said. Police captured Allgier hiding inside a manager's office moments after a customer, Eric Fullerton, said he jumped the counter and wrested the gun from Allgier. Fullerton was sliced in the neck with a serrated knife during the struggle at the restaurant. "I don't know where I got the strength," Fullerton told the Deseret Morning News. "I just knew I couldn't let go (of the gun) or I would be dead." Allgier was not armed when he was captured, said Sgt. Rich Brede. The inmate has since claimed he did not shoot Anderson and that the gun went off when he tried to escape. As he was putting on his prison clothes after an MRI for a sore back, Allgier said he told his plan to Corrections officer Stephen Anderson and added, "Don't play hero." Anderson, however, tried to stop him, Allgier told KUTV in an See GUARD Page 3 3. Allgier flees into a nearby Arby's restaurant, where a civilian is able to take his gun. Police find Allgier hiding in the restaurant manager's office and arrest him. 1. Allgier, who was receiving treatment at the U Orthopaedic Center, allegedly shoots 60-yearold Corrections officer Anderson in the head. Allgier flees the facility through the east doors and moves south to Foothill Drive. 2 . On Foothill, Allgier steals a car at gunpoint and leaves the area. After a high-speed chase with police, Allgier is stopped by police road spikes near 1700 South and Redwood Road. CutlineU Police Chief Scott Folsom answers questions from the media Monday during a press conference held outside of the U Orthopaedic Center. Campus kept open despite shooting Task force to deal with lingering security questions Rochelle McConkie ASST. NEWS EDITOR U students and faculty lack answers as to how the university can best react to emergency situations such as the killing of a Utah Department of Corrections officer in Research Park on Monday morning. Campus remained open throughout the day as police responded to the shooting of officer Stephen Anderson at 7:45 a.m. U Police Chief Scott Folsom said there was no reason to close campus because the suspect, Curtis Allgier, was known to have left the campus' vicinity after carjacking a blue Ford Explorer outside the U Orthopaedic Center. Police quickly came to the conclusion that his intent was to leave campus, and that Allgier did not present a threat at the U. "We wouldn't close (campus) unless there showed an imminent threat," Folsom said. "And there certainly was not anything to show an STAFF WRITER Curtis Allgier, the white supremacist accused of killing a corrections officer on campus Monday, has a history of run-ins with the law and involvement with Aryan gangs. Allgier is covered with tattoos symbolizing his commitment to Aryan brotherhood. A swastika and the words "skin head" are among the many tattoos on his face. Allgier's particular affiliation is with a gang called Aryan Empire Warriors, said Jack Ford, a spokesperson for the Utah Department of Corrections. In a sentencing memorandum from a November 2006 trial where Allgier was convicted of illegal possession of a firearm, his defender, Kristen Angelos, said Allgier "was introduced to a criminal mindset by his family while still a very young child." The document says that during his formative years Allgier was exposed to the mindset of a white supremacist, and that he simply followed the example of family members. "Mr. Allgier had no other route than to follow his parents. As such, a downward departure is warranted," she said. However, according to The Salt Lake Tribune, Allgier's sisters say that he didn't learn his racist philosophy growing up and that their family isn't racist. They also said Allgier's boyhood heroes included black celebrities and that he adopted racist beliefs in prison. Despite Allgier's connection with an Aryan gang, he has never been charged with a hate crime. Ford said Allgier was convicted of burglary and forgery in Logan in 2000. Several other criminal offenses followed. According to court documents, after already serving time in prison, Allgier was paroled in October 2006. In November 2006 he was again sent back to jail after being charged with criminal possession of a 9 mm handgun. Judge Paul G. Cassell sentenced Allgier to a maximum of 104 months in jail with supervised release in 36 months. Allgier's November 2006 arrest came after he skipped parole. According to the Associated Press, he was arrested in a Midvale hotel after barricading himself in a room where he cut a hole in the ceiling See ALLGIER Page 3 imminent threat because he fled to the city." The Orthopaedic Center and several surrounding buildings were put under lockdown during the immediate police investigation, but employees and patients have since been allowed to enter freely. The University Hospital has a complete evacuation plan, said U spokeswoman Coralie Alder, but shutting down an entire campus is more difficult. With the amount of time it takes to close hundreds of buildings and alert thousands of people, Folsom said he is not aware of any effective way to close campus, but that the new campus security task force is looking into the matter. University of Utah President Michael Young created the task force earlier this month in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings and the U's decision to nix its concealed weapons ban under pressure from the See CLOSE Page 3 |