Clinton, UT: Man with domestic-violence history killed by Clinton police

Published: Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010 12:15 a.m. MDT
By Paul Koepp
and Sam Penrod, Deseret News

CLINTON — A man was killed Friday morning in an officer-involved shooting in Clinton, police said.

The incident took place about 9:30 a.m. near 1000 West and 1640 North after police were called to a house on a domestic dispute. According to Clinton Police Chief Bill Chilson, two officers encountered Paulo Berumen, 34, in the backyard and twice tried to deploy a Taser, but it was ineffective through his clothing.

Chilson said Berumen had a "large knife," and it's unclear whether he threw it at the officers or charged them before they both fired at him. Berumen died at the scene.

The two officers have been placed on routine administrative leave pending an investigation by the Davis County Sheriff's Office into whether the shooting was justified.

At nearby Clinton Elementary School, students were kept indoors to ensure that the children, who were scheduled for an early-out day, were not exposed to the scene.

Chilson said it was the first officer-involved shooting he's seen in his 27 years on the Clinton police force.

Berumen had a history of domestic violence. In February, he was arrested by the Davis County Sheriff's Office and charged with assault, child abuse, unlawful detention and damaging a communications device after a fight in which he was accused of grabbing his wife and throwing their cordless phone, according to court records.

Representing himself in Clinton City Justice Court, he entered a plea in abeyance to misdemeanor counts of assault and child abuse and had other charges dismissed. A judge gave him a suspended jail sentence and ordered him into treatment, which court records show he completed last week.

In June 2008, Berumen's wife sought a protective order, claiming her husband had been abusive since they married in 2001. The couple had three boys living in their home, according to her petition.

In her request for the protective order, she described a recent incident in which she said Berumen got drunk and threatened to beat her with a belt. He said he would take away their children, knowing that she was "not completely legal" and could not challenge him in court, according to the petition.

In the petition, Berumen is accused of throwing her against a washing machine and threatening to kill her. On other occasions, his wife said, he beat the children and kicked a hole in a door, according to the petition. The protective order was dismissed in July 2008 for lack of evidence.