PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT

July 30, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact Information: PolicePRUnit@slcgov.com

SLCPD Activates OICI Protocol to Conduct Death Investigation

SALT LAKE CITY — Today, the Salt Lake City Police Department announced the activation of the officer-involved-critical-incident (OICI) protocol after the Utah Office of the Medical Examiner ruled the death of 40-year-old Megan Joyce Mohn to be a homicide.

“Police officers make incredibly important and difficult decisions at lightning speed and under incredible stress and volatility. These decisions are heavily scrutinized,” said Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown. “Our officers acted appropriately, quickly and professionally to save Ms. Mohn’s life. We welcome and respect the officer-involved-critical-incident protocol. We have confidence this will be a fair and judicious process guided by the rule of law and grounded in evidence.”

Ms. Mohn died on January 30, 2022, while at Salt Lake Regional Hospital.

The department expresses its condolences to the family of Ms. Mohn.

The medical examiner released its autopsy report on July 28, 2022, to the Salt Lake City Police Department.

Following the release, the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office requested the Salt Lake City Police Department wait to launch the OICI protocol so the findings of the medical examiner’s office could be reviewed.

The Salt Lake City Police Department initiated the OICI protocol late in the day on July 29, 2022, after consulting with the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office and others.

This investigation started at 3:13 a.m. on January 11, 2022, when an armed security guard for Marathon Petroleum’s Salt Lake City refinery alerted a SLCPD officer about a woman, later identified as Ms. Mohn, “walking in circles carrying a piece of rebar in the intersection of 400 West 900 North.”

The incident described above occurred while a SLCPD officer worked a secondary employment shift for Marathon Petroleum.

The SLCPD officer learned from security that Ms. Mohn tried getting into a secure area and accessed the truck exit gate. A truck driver stopped Ms. Mohn who then ran off property and back into the intersection.

At approximately 3:30 a.m., the SLCPD officer contacted Ms. Mohn and saw she had two pieces of rebar in her hand. The officer ordered Ms. Mohn to drop the rebar and she complied. The officer had Ms. Mohn sit on the ground.

A private security guard on scene witnessed the arrest and later reported that Ms. Mohn “just kept screaming incoherent language.”

The security guard told investigators Ms. Mohn “was resisting and attempted to run.”

At 3:35 a.m., the SLCPD officer got Ms. Mohn into custody and called for back-up.

While in custody and seated on the grass, Ms. Mohn refused to give officers her name, started resisting the officers and kicked one officer several times. The officers moved her from a seated position on to her stomach.

The officers on scene attempted repeatedly to get Ms. Mohn to calm down, communicate with them and ordered that she stop resisting.

Ms. Mohn continued screaming randomly.

Because Ms. Mohn kept kicking, the officers decided to use a leg restraint device.

Once the officers applied the leg restraints, they noticed Ms. Mohn had stopped resisting and yelling.

The sudden change in behavior and lack of physical and verbal response from Ms. Mohn prompted an officer on scene to immediately recommend that Ms. Mohn be placed into the “recovery position.”

While in the recovery position, an officer could still see Ms. Mohn breathing but she remained unresponsive.

No shots were fired during this incident.

One of the officers did a sternum rub, which is a form of pain stimulus to illicit a reaction or response in unconscious people.

The officers on scene made multiple attempts to wake Ms. Mohn and administered a dose of naloxone, a medicine that rapidly reverses an opioid overdose.

With Ms. Mohn not reacting, the officers decided to remove Ms. Mohn from all restraints so they could further check her breathing and prepare for CPR.

At 3:52 a.m., SLCPD began performing CPR on Ms. Mohn. Chest compressions continued until personnel with Salt Lake City Fire Department (SLCFD) rotated SLCPD out.

SLCFD personnel then rotated out and SLCPD resumed chest compressions.

Gold Cross transported Ms. Mohn to Salt Lake Regional Hospital in critical condition.

Hospital staff told SLCPD that Ms. Mohn’s condition was improving and that she was on a path of recovery.

Several hours later, hospital staff further reiterated to SLCPD that Ms. Mohn’s condition to be non-life threatening.

Because the crimes for which Ms. Mohn was arrested did not require “guard duty,” the SLCPD left the hospital, prepared to screen charges with the district attorney’s office and had no further interaction with her.

Upon an inventory of Ms. Mohn’s property, officers located methamphetamine, spice and alcohol.

SLCPD later learned, on February 9, 2022, that on January 28, 2022, hospital staff moved Ms. Mohn into the intensive care unit at Salt Lake Regional Hospital and that she died on January 30, 2022.

No details or medical updates were provided to SLCPD when hospital staff moved Ms. Mohn to the ICU, nor when she died.

Upon learning of Ms. Mohn’s death, from the medical examiner’s office, the Salt Lake City Police Department consulted with the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office.

The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office advised the Salt Lake City Police Department that the incident did not qualify as an officer-involved-critical-incident at that time. All parties awaited the medical examiner’s findings.

According to the medical examiner’s findings, Ms. Mohn’s immediate cause of death was “anoxic brain injury” due to “cardiac arrest” due to “probable methamphetamine intoxication in the setting of an altercation involving physical restraint.”

Body-worn camera video associated with this incident will be released consistent to Salt Lake City ordinance 2.10.200.

The four primary officers involved in this incident are on standard paid leave.

No further information on this case is being released. Neither the Public Information Officer (PIO) nor the On-Duty Watch Commander are available for interviews.

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