CCPD releases details on Parowan police shooting; Parowan Fire Dept. holds procession
Written by Tracie Sullivan
The following details were officially released to the public on Monday, May 13, at 5:25 p.m. by Cedar City Police Office Jimmy Roden, the acting public information officer for the Parowan shooting incident:
At approximately 9 p.m. Thursday, July 9, Parowan City Police Officer Tyler Uresk responded to the 800 West block of 200 South in Parowan on a domestic violence call.
A 17-year-old called the police saying he witnessed a male suspect striking a minor child. When Officer Uresk arrived at the scene, he encountered the adult male in the driveway of the home brandishing a firearm.
Roden said the suspect pointed the handgun at Uresk while approaching him in an aggressive manner, at which time Uresk fired two shots at the suspect, striking him both times.
The suspect, Rocco (Rocky) Joseph Palmisano III, was treated on scene by officers and EMS for the gunshot wounds but died prior to his arrival at the hospital.
As per routine protocol, Uresk is on paid administrative leave pending an investigation into the shooting by the Iron County Critical Incident Task Force. The task force is made up of members from multiple agencies within Iron County.
“It is anticipated that the investigation will be completed by the end of the week,” Roden said.
Roden continued to say that once the investigation is completed, the Iron County Attorney’s Office will review the findings.
As per The Independent’s ethics policy, some of these details were not reported in previous stories due to the sensitive nature of the topic and a choice made by the paper to wait for official sources to confirm the facts of the story rather than relying on neighbors’ accounts.
In respect of Palmisano’s wishes, the Parowan Fire Department held a small procession Tuesday morning in his memory. Palmisano’s remains were on the fire engine that took the family down Main Street in honor of their fellow firefighter. Parowan City Manager Shayne Scott said before the City made the decision to allow the procession, they spoke with several individuals including Uresk.
“We took into account the officer’s thoughts and feelings because we didn’t want to do anything that would disrespect him,” Scott said. “He understood the family and the community needed an opportunity to mourn, and he was okay with that. Usually they would have that during a memorial service, but the family is not going to be having any services here so we felt this gave them the chance to mourn their loved one and pay their respects. We hope this will help us to begin to heal as a community and put this behind us so we can move forward.”
