Police say a man was justified in shooting and killing a would-be carjacker outside a grocery store in Orem Saturday, saying he did the “right thing” by coming to the aid of the vehicle’s owner.
Police Capt. Ned Jackson said the suspect, 26-year-old Taulagi V. Matafeo, pulled into a Macy’s parking lot around the time a woman finished grocery shopping. As she pulled her SUV out of a parking spot, her groceries shifted, and she stopped to adjust them. Jackson said that’s when Matafeo got in the driver’s seat and attempted to steal the car.
The woman’s screams alerted a 31-year-old man with a concealed weapons permit. He was making a brief stop at the store before his target practice. After asking Matafeo to get out of the car, he ordered him to wait for the police. Matafeo took one step forward, however, before allegedly lunging at the gun. Investigators are unsure what his motive was in doing so.
The suspect was shot once, after which Orem Police received a call from the shooter. Matafeo was immediately transported to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, where he later died. If arrested, he would have faced several unrelated charges of burglary and robbery, in addition to attempted car robbery.
After a discussion with the county attorney, Jackson thinks it is unlikely charges will be filed against the shooter. This is primarily because Utah law allows the use of guns for self-defense and to prevent the commission of a forcible felony, including an attempted car robbery.
Jackson said the shooter was able to respond quickly because he had a concealed carrier permit.
“What the concealed carry permit does is it allows him to carry the gun right on him, so when he gets out of the car he doesn’t have to stop to either find the gun or get the gun.”
While most police officers could agree that the shooter did the right thing in coming to the vehicle owner’s aid, Jackson had a difficult time saying whether the shooter was justified in using deadly force.
The names of the shooter and the victim will not be released.