Deadly officer-involved shooting in Parowan leaves deep scars in community

Written by Tracie Sullivan

According to justifiable homicide reports to the FBI last year, a white police officer killed a black person twice a week during a seven-year period ending in 2012.

But not in Parowan, Utah.

These statistics are reserved for big cities, places that have no resemblance to this small community that still boasts country fairs, Fourth of July pancake celebrations, and Main Street parades complete with fire trucks, tractors, and little red wagons.

In Parowan, the police have never shot a black man. In fact, until this week, their officers have never even had to use deadly force.

“We’ve come close. There have been times were we could have been in this same situation. There have been incidents where we were on the verge of where deadly force could have been applied, but fortunately the suspects complied and we didn’t have to,” said Parowan Police Chief Ken Carpenter.

But that all changed on the evening of July 9 when a Parowan police officer responded to a domestic violence call in progress.

The 911 call was made by 17-year-old Wesley Workman, who told authorities he had witnessed a fight between a 12-year old boy and his father, Rocky Palmisano—a fight, Workman reported, he watched turn very physical.

Later, Palmisano’s family would say that Workman “exaggerated” the facts.

“If Rocky was beating him as the neighbors and the media say he was, why didn’t he have any bruises? He didn’t have one bruise on him. His son even said that he slapped him but he didn’t ‘beat’ him. This is just so wrong what has been reported,” said Cassie Hulet, the fiancée of Palmisano’s older son, Jerred.

Within minutes of arriving on scene, reports show, the officer found himself in a situation wherein the suspect was holding a gun, and in the next few seconds, the choice the officer had to make changed everything forever.

“This was the last thing on his mind when he started his shift that day,” Carpenter said.

But unlike many officer-involved shootings, in which the police aren’t likely to know the person they’re confronted with, this officer knew Palmisano and his family.

“I don’t know that the experience is worse in a small town and knowing the people, but I think that it does add other issues, like anxiety and continued possibility for triggers when the individual is likely to run into the perpetrator or their family. But any traumatic event is equally serious whether in a small town or in a big city,” said Joni Thomas, licensed clinical social worker and owner of Brighter Future Counseling.

As a former volunteer fire fighter with the Parowan Fire Department, Palmisano had had opportunities to work as an emergency responder alongside the officers of this small town police agency. They all knew each other and had shared a few laughs and some small talk and through the years had developed a camaraderie.

“Rocky wasn’t a terrible man. He wasn’t a bad man,” Carpenter said.

Without elaborating or giving any details, Palmisano’s family echoed Carpenter’s sentiments describing their loved one as a “good man.”

“The media has portrayed him as a monster, but he wasn’t. Rocky had hundreds of lifelong friends, and he was very patriotic about his country. He served on the fire department for years,” Hulet said, speaking on behalf of Palmisano’s sisters.

In accordance with routine protocol, the Parowan officer has been relieved of all duties pending the outcome of an investigation being conducted under the jurisdiction of the Critical Incident Task Force organized two years ago by the Iron County Attorney’s Office.

But as many law enforcement agents know, the emotional effects of that night will last far beyond any official investigation for the officer involved in this incident.

That’s why for Carpenter getting his officer the necessary help he needs is tantamount to getting him cleared in the investigation.

“He needs time to deal with this and put the incident in the proper perspective so that he can be healthy when he returns to work. We’re going to do everything we can to make sure that he gets the help that he needs to do that and that process has already begun,” Carpenter said.

It’s not just the officer who has been affected though. Thursday night’s incident isn’t easy on his chief either, who in his 30-year law enforcement career has seen his share of tragedy and horror and knows firsthand the road his officer is facing ahead of him.

“It’s painful for me to see the hurt he’s going through. My heart goes out to him and his family and the pain they’re all going through. He never wanted this to happen, and if [the public] had seen my officer that night, they would never believe it was so emotionally upsetting for him,” Carpenter said, his voice breaking as he relived the night’s events.

“This was the last thing he wanted. He knew this man and his family. He didn’t want to be in that position, but he was put in that position by the other individual’s choices. But I think how he responded to the circumstances, he immediately tried to render aid to preserve life, speaks volumes about where his heart and mind is. He tried to do everything he could.”

Carpenter also knows it’s going to be a long time before the family, especially the son who witnessed the death of his father, will be able to find peace.

“A lot of people are involved and are concerned about this family. This incident is an emotional strain on whatever perspective you’re standing from,” he said. “Everyone involved in this is hurting. It’s painful for everyone. We knew this man, his family. It’s going to take time for everyone to heal.”

Post-traumatic stress disorder is described as a mental health condition triggered by either experiencing or witnessing a terrifying event. Symptoms can include flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety as well as uncontrollable thoughts about the event.

According to the Badge of Life, a group of mostly retired officers working to raise awareness of dangers posed by police stress, 140 law enforcement officers committed suicide in 2008 as did 143 in2009 and 126 in2012, many of them suffering from PTSD.

As more and more agencies across the country begin to realize the seriousness of what their officers undergo on the job and the daily stress they deal with, more mental health resources and training is being made available.

But it’s not just police officers or veterans who are susceptible to PTSD. Palmisano’s son, who witnessed the death of his father, may also suffer from this condition. Thomas points out, however, that with the proper tools, he can learn to deal with this event.

“A child or adult does not have to struggle with PTSD all their life. They can live a normal and functioning life with treatment,” she said. “However, there will always be things that trigger them or they may be more sensitive to. Still, they can learn how to manage these and their emotions.”

Besides Palmisano’s child and the officer, there are others who also were affected that night, including Palmisano’s wife, who held her husband’s head on his lap as she helplessly tried to stop the bleeding.

Workman also witnessed more than he should have had to. Having been the one to call it in, his memories of the night’s events seem almost surreal as he tries to make sense of it all.

But he isn’t alone in his emotions. While Workman’s mother, Cindy, wasn’t there at the time of the incident, she still has to deal with some unanswered questions of her own.

“I saw him drinking and angry earlier in the day. Maybe I should have called [the police] then and this wouldn’t have happened,” she said.

The headlines regarding this incident will be replaced with others in the coming days, and the news that is now largely consuming the pages of social media will disappear. But for the officer, the families, the community, and the police department, July 9, 2015 will never be forgotten but remembered as the night this sleepy rural American town woke to find the world it once knew had forever changed.

Fortunately, PTSD resources are widely available in southern Utah. The Independent recently reported on the National Alliance on Mental Illness Homefront Class, and the organization offers various resources in helping families deal with trauma. Additionally, psychologist Dr. David Tate, a certified Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction teacher who has taught mindfulness classes for 25 years, offers free classes from 6 to 7 p.m. at Grace Episcopal Church in St. George every Wednesday. Similarly, Todd Prince leads free weekly meditation classes Tuesday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m. in Cedar Cityand can be reached at 867-9824 or [email protected]. Joni Thomas works with PTSD patients and can be reached at (435) 592-0366 or [email protected].