Shooting of Linden Cameron
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 Location of Salt Lake City within Salt Lake County | |
| Date | September 4, 2020 |
|---|---|
| Time | c. 10:39:22 pm[1] (MDT) |
| Location | Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S. |
| Type | Police shooting, excessive force[2] |
| Filmed by | Police body camera |
| Participants | Matthew Farillas of the Salt Lake City Police Department (shooter)[3][2] |
| Non-fatal injuries | Gunshot wounds; critical condition; damage to his intestines, colon, bladder, shoulder, stomach, and ankles[1] |
| Charges | None |
| Litigation | Lawsuit filed by Cameron's family against the SLCPD and Salt Lake City settled for $3 million[4][5] |
On September 4, 2020, Linden Cameron, an unarmed 13-year-old autistic boy with a sensory processing disorder,[6][1] was shot and seriously injured by Matthew Farillas, a police officer in Salt Lake City, Utah. Cameron was shot six times by Farillas after Cameron ran from his house during a meltdown.[6][7][8][a] In 2022, the family and the city agreed to settle their civil case for $3 million.[2]
In 2023, District Attorney Sim Gill announced that Farillas would not be charged.[9]
On September 4, Linden Cameron's mother, Golda Barton had made a 9-1-1 call asking for a crisis intervention team because Cameron was having a meltdown, and said that she feared Cameron could become violent. Barton said on body camera footage from the incident released by authorities, "I need him to go to a hospital. I cannot get him there on my own and I cannot do this every night." Barton said law enforcement were a trigger for Cameron. Cameron's grandfather, Owen Barton, had been killed in a confrontation with Lyon County sheriff's deputies earlier in the year. Golda Barton said in the body camera video, "He sees the badge and he automatically thinks like, you're going to kill him, or he has to defend himself in some way. He freaks out. And he's got a sensory disorder."
Two officers stayed near the home of Linden Cameron and Golda Barton, while an officer in the driveway spotted Cameron running. Officers gave chase to Cameron, and broke through the fence which he jumped over. An officer, identified in 2022 as Matthew Farillas,[3][2] yelled, "Get on the ground!" moments before firing eleven shots at Linden Cameron, six of which hit him. While on the ground, Cameron said, "I don't feel good. Tell my mom I love her." According to Barton, one officer said to Farillas, "He's just a child, what are you doing?"
Salt Lake City Police Sergeant Keith Horrocks and the Salt Lake City Police Department initially defended the shooter, claiming that officers were called to the address for a "violent psych issue" involving a juvenile having a "mental episode" and "making threats to some folks with a weapon."[10][11] The SLCPD retracted these statements, later concluding that there was no indication or evidence to suggest that Cameron had a weapon.[6][1]
