June 25th, 2007 @ 12:30pm Team Coverage - KSL TV A prison inmate shoots and kills a corrections officer at the University of Utah orthopedic center. The suspect was taken there for a medical appointment, an MRI. At some point during treatment, he was able to grab the officer's gun and shot and killed him. It happened around 7:45 this morning at the University of Utah's Orthopedic Center. Curtis Allgier, a prisoner who is locked up for burglary, forgery and weapons possession charge, came to the center because he was complaining of lower back pain. He went in to one of the exam rooms on the lower level of the facility with a corrections officer, who was armed at the time to take an MRI exam. At some point during the procedure to get him in to the MRI room, he somehow became unshackled, overtook the prison corrections officer, and escaped down a sidewalk to Foothill Blvd. Scott Folsom, the director of Public Safety for the University of Utah says, "They were sequestered in an examination room, which was immediately next to an MRI machines. Some sort of an altercation occurred. The suspect was able to get the guard's weapon away from him and at least one shot was fired." Allgier carjacked a Ford Explorer and started driving westbound. The Salt Lake City Police Department picked up the chase at that point. We did learn this morning that the corrections officer that was involved was Sgt. Steve Anderson. He had worked for the Department of Corrections for 22 years. A 60-year-old corrections officer who had considerable experience, somehow Curtis Allgier was able to overtake him. The police chase ended at the Arby's on 1600 West and Redwood Road. Investigators are still there treating it as a crime scene. A lot of people saw all of this happen. They say it was pretty scary. One witness said, "Saw a black SUV come up here down this road right here, he pulled in right here, came in, back tire was blown out on the right side. He was just squealing the rims." Another witness said, "I got here as soon as the cops all pulled up and they surrounded the building and everything." A third witness said, "Just when we exit the door, I heard a popping noise. I thought it was a firecracker. I thought nothing of it. And next thing I know police officers coming from all different directions into the parking lot. And police officers were yelling at us, ‘duck down, duck down.' So we fell down to the ground next to the car." Now, according to Salt Lake City Police, one shot was fired inside of that Arby's, but the bullet did not hit anyone. An employee was injured, he was hit by something, but it was not a bullet. He was treated and he is expected to be OK. Stephen Anderson The victim: 'Naturally nice' Corrections veteran lived his faith By Lisa Rosetta The Salt Lake Tribune Article Last Updated: 06/26/2007 11:53:24 AM MDT A quiet, gentle man, Stephen Anderson's faith in God and church was unshakable. "He lived closest to the savior than anyone I knew," said Hal Jensen, a neighbor and friend of Anderson's for 15 years. A cousin, Mark Anderson, said Stephen Anderson and his wife, Millie, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, were the kind of people who sat next to the single men and women during sacrament, or lent their hands to a young mother juggling unruly youngsters. Every summer, the couple opened their mountain property to about 600 LDS youths for church activities. Anderson helped many young men achieve their Eagle Scout rank. "Stephen lived his life as a true disciple of Jesus Christ," Mark Anderson said. "His life was a reflection of that discipleship." A Utah Department of Corrections officer for 22 years, Anderson's compassion extended to those with whom he worked - including inmates. As word of the 60-year-old's shooting death at the University of Utah's orthopedic unit spread Monday, prisoners offered their condolences, said Warden Steve Turley. "The inmates are saying he was the best transportation officer of them all, [that] this shouldn't have happened, there was no reason for it," he said. Eligible for retirement two years ago, Anderson chose to continue working because of his love for the profession. "He's been a brother figure, a father figure, to many of our guys," said Tom Patterson, executive director of the Utah Department of Corrections. A colleague of Anderson's who asked that his name not be published said, "Most of us have to try to be nice. Stephen was just naturally nice." Perhaps Anderson's most important job was that of husband, father and grandfather. Anderson and his wife of 36 years have five adult children, including Shawn Anderson, also a Utah Department of Corrections employee. All five children are married and together have 16 children. ''Like any great father, Steve's life has centered around his family and their interests,'' Mark Anderson said. ''Many tears have been shed today by everybody who knows Stephen. While they have been tears of sadness, they are also tears of gratitude for knowing such a great man.'' Anderson had a contagious laugh, his friends and family recall. Jensen smiled as he recounted a story about church youth who chased after Anderson with water balloons. He had never seen his friend - in his 50s at the time - run so fast. "I just laughed," Jensen said. "It surprised me." Though in shock and disbelief, Anderson's family is not vengeful, Mark Anderson said. On Monday, the family joined in prayer to ask forgiveness for their husband and father's alleged killer, 27-year-old Curtis Michael Allgier. "I've just been impressed with their whole attitude toward this," he said. "They're just having a tough time trying to make sense of this. But they're doing well, they've got a good support network." Cars streamed into the fallen officer's gravel driveway Monday, including that of Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr., who around 2:30 p.m. visited Anderson's grieving family to offer his help and condolences. Mark Anderson said a funeral service for his cousin will be held at the Bluffdale Stake Center, though the details have not yet been finalized. "The world has a lost a great man today," he said. lrosetta@sltrib.com --- * ROBERT KIRBY contributed to this report. By Jared Page Deseret Morning News BLUFFDALE — Friends, family and neighbors say corrections officer Stephen Anderson will be remembered as a compassionate, gentle, giving man who spent his life serving others. Jennifer Ackerman, Deseret Morning News Utah Department of Corrections director Tom Patterson speaks to reporters. He said the corrections department intends to "be there" for the family of the slain officer. Anderson, 60, a lifelong resident of Bluffdale, was shot and killed Monday in the line of duty. It was a job he loved, said Mark Anderson, Stephen Anderson's cousin and family spokesman. "He loved working with people who had challenges," Mark Anderson said. "Many people have benefited from his care and his tenderness." Stephen Anderson worked for the Department of Corrections for more than 22 years and spent much of that time transporting prisoners to and from court or the hospital. He was well-respected by his colleagues, Mark Anderson said, "and, incredibly, by many of the prisoners as well." Anderson had taken inmate Curtis Allgier to a University of Utah medical clinic Monday morning when, police say, Allgier stole the officer's gun, shot him in the head and escaped. Allgier was later arrested and taken to the Salt Lake County Jail. "I think the family knew there were some inherent dangers associated with the job in transporting prisoners," Mark Anderson said. "At the same time, I don't think the family ever realized that anything like this could ever happen." Mark Anderson read a family statement Monday afternoon in Bluffdale. In addition to thanking all those who have supported the family during a most difficult time, the statement also expressed compassion for the gunman's family. "(We) hope they can experience peace and not be judged, that they too can feel the loving arms of a caring and loving Heavenly Father," according to the statement. Stephen Anderson leaves behind what friends and neighbors described as a close-knit family who acted as if they were each other's best friends. He is survived by his wife, Millie, five children and 16 grandchildren. "I don't know another man who is as dedicated to his family as Stephen is," Mark Anderson said. "Like any great father, Steve's life has centered around his family and their interests." Stephen Anderson was a devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, serving at times as an ecclesiastical leader locally as a member of the bishopric and regionally as a member of the stake high council, family and friends said. Mark Anderson said the family was aware of job's dangers but, "I don't think the family ever realized that anything like this could ever happen." He especially enjoyed working with young members of the church, particularly the young men in the Boy Scouts of America program. "He was involved in Scouting the whole time I've known him," said Hal Jensen, a longtime friend and neighbor of Stephen Anderson. Jensen said Stephen Anderson was an example to anyone who met him and possessed a "Christlike" desire to give of his time. "He was very generous," Jensen said. "Anything he owned, the community was welcome to use." Family and friends said LDS Church youths and Boy Scouts often used a piece of mountain property Stephen Anderson owns in Fairview Canyon. Last year, about 500 LDS youths attended a conference at the property, Mark Anderson said. Stephen Anderson not only donated the use of the property but spent a week in advance of the event clearing trees and making sure there were working showers and toilets. "It's a place where he spends time with his family," Jensen said, "but he always let (the church) use it and never charged for it." Bluffdale Mayor Claudia Anderson sent her condolences to the Stephen Anderson family Monday night. "Our community will miss Stephen so very much," she said. "He has been a member of our community his whole life. Stephen has been a rock to our city and an example to us all of genuine love for his family, friends and community." Mayor Anderson said she grew up with Stephen and has gotten to know his family well over the years. "I have love for them all and will personally miss him," she said. Mark Anderson said the family's LDS faith and its teachings that families are eternal has helped them find "peace and consolation in a difficult and frustrating time." "The Anderson family is a family of faith," he said. "And while this is an extremely difficult time, we have the assurance and the knowledge that God has a plan for Stephen, and that his passing, while difficult to understand and to comprehend, is only temporary." Donations for the family are being accepted in Stephen Anderson's name at all Zions Bank locations. Funeral services will be held in Bluffdale, with a time and location being determined today by the family, Mark Anderson said. Tom Smart, Deseret Morning News Friend Hal Jensen said Stephen Anderson possessed a "Christlike" desire to give of his time.
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