A veteran Utah Highway Patrol trooper was saved by his bulletproof vest after he was shot multiple times without warning early Friday morning.
Sgt. Paul Kotter turned to walk back to his patrol car during a traffic stop near Hill Field Road and state Route 193 around 2 a.m. when 21-year-old Drew Morgan Moyer allegedly fired at least three shots at him, according to KSL-TV
Kotter's vest stopped two shots to his lower back and was wounded once in the rear before he returned fire.
He was transported to a local hospital to have bullet fragments removed from his buttocks area and is expected to make a full recovery.
"We thank God he's OK. It could have been quite a different story," Highway Patrol Col. Danny Fuhr said. "All in all, he's doing well."
Officials said that Moyer fled and died a short time later from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The incident began as Kotter and three other troopers were working an overtime shift in a construction zone, cautioning oncoming motorists to slow down.
Moyer reportedly drove out of a nearby apartment complex and into the restricted area and pulled up next to Kotter. The 15-year veteran smelled alcohol on the man's breath and collected information from him to run through his cruiser's laptop. As he walked back to his vehicle he was shot.
Another trooper who ducked for cover quickly got in his car and went after the suspect. He caught up with the vehicle after it crashed into the back of a truck and found Moyer dead inside with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The investigation into the shooting will be conducted by the Layton Police Department.
