Family and friends say they are stunned a Utah police officer shot and
killed his wife, mother-in-law and two young children before turning the
gun on himself days go.
Those close to Joshua and Kelly Boren said they knew the couple had been
having marital problems but never thought he was capable of such a
violent act. They spoke at a vigil Saturday night in Spanish Fork, a
city of about 36,000 people located 9 miles south of Provo, home of
Brigham Young University. They were unsure of the events leading up to
the shooting.
"Everybody says how horrible my uncle was," Ashley Ohran, 17, Joshua Boren's niece told the Deseret News ( http://bit.ly/1eL1cwI ). "That's the thing, my uncle was the best person ever. He was a great guy.
"Nobody knew that this was coming. Nobody was expecting this to happen from him," she added.
Spanish Fork police say the 34-year-old officer of the Lindon Police
Department shot his wife, 32; his mother-in-law, Marie King, 55; and his
two children, Joshua "Jaden" Boren, 7, and Haley Boren, 5, before
killing himself. They were found dead in their home late Thursday night,
and police are still investigating a motive. The Lindon department
counts about 15 uniformed officers and patrols a city of about 10,000.
More than 100 people packed a Gold's Gym to remember and share stories
of the family, the newspaper reported. Kelly Boren was a fitness fanatic
who worked out there. She and her husband often socialized and went
hiking with a group of 10 close friends.
RiRi Whiting, Kelly Boren's close friend and a vigil organizer, said she
never saw a temper in Joshua Boren and thought he was a good father.
Now, she says she's overwhelmed with anger.
"It's a super selfish act," Whiting said. "I don't know what state of
mind a person can be in to do that, especially to children. When
children are involved, it just makes me sick."
Friend James Bjerregaard also remembered Joshua Boren as a good father.
"Josh wasn't a bad guy. He was a gentle, personable guy," he said. "I
think it's kind of too fresh to really know what my opinions and
thoughts will be of him down the road."
Kelly Boren, who was finance director for the city of Bluffdale, was remembered as a sweet, funny woman dedicated to her family.
"She just had that smile that was contagious that I personally wanted to
be around," friend Travis Young said. "You just don't forget somebody
like that, that spirit, that aura, whatever you want to call it. That
goodness about them."
Investigators did not find a suicide note or other message to explain the shooting.
A funeral for the family will begin at 11 a.m. Wednesday at Lindquist Mortuary in Layton.
No comments:
Post a Comment