The Salt Lake Tribune
Sunday, March 14, 1965
page B1
WEST SIDE S.L. GUN BATTLE KILLS ONE, WOUNDS TWO
Shot Hits Peace Officer, Suspect Hospitalized
An argument - apparently over the recovery of a boy's kite - Saturday brought violet death to the boy's father, wounds to another man and a head wound to a Salt Lake peace officer in the ensuing melee.
Police identified the shooting victims as:
Vern M. Clausing, 40, 211 Cornell St., who was killed; Officer Gary A. Fillerup, 28, 620 Hoover St., Midvale, in fair condition at St. Mark's Hospital, and Virgil D. Fix, about 73, 146 Cornell St.
BOOKED AT JAIL FOR INVESTIGATION
Fix later was booked into Salt Lake City Jail for investigation of murder. He was in good condition after treatment at Salt Lake General Hospital.
For almost an hour, police battled with pistols, rifles and tear gas grenades, a man barricaded in a tarpaper-covered shack near 146 Cornell St. (1540 West). After returning scores of shots with the officers, the suspect, wounded in the left arm, finally was taken into custody.
The incident which led to the death of Mr. Clausing was ignited shortly before 5 p.m. Fatal blasts from a rifle immediately followed.
Officers responding to the scene were met with a hail of bullets coming from the shack. Across a shallow canal from Officer Fillerup, first on the scene, was the body of the victim, lying head down on the bank...
Mr. Clausing's wife, Dollie, and six children ranging in ages from 19 to 7 were all standing by as lawmen were held at bay for about an hour by the suspect following the shooting.
Mrs. Clausing made the initial telephone call to lawmen at 4:56 p.m.
Other members of the family include daughters Sharlotte, 16, and Mary Lou, 14, and sons Robert, 19; Mike, 15; Rick, about 10, and Steve, about 7.
Mr. Clausing also is survived by two brothers and two sisters...
STARTED BY KITE
"As I understand it, a child's kite started the whole mess," Capt. Fillis said after preliminary investigation. "The victim, Mr. Clausing, was driving home north on Cornell Street when he saw one of his children (later identified as Ricky, 10) crying.
"He stopped the car and asked the reason. The child told him his kite had gone down in the yard near the tarpaper-covered shack. When the boy went into the yard to retrieve it, a man grabbed it, crumpled and burned it, according to the boy's account," Capt. Fillis said.
"Mr. Clausing then apparently went to talk to the man and there were two blasts from a gun," the captain said.
Late Saturday, a detective said Mr. Clausing was struck at least three times, with wounds in the face and the back. Officers would give no more information on cause of death...
Sunday, March 14, 1965
page B1
WEST SIDE S.L. GUN BATTLE KILLS ONE, WOUNDS TWO
Shot Hits Peace Officer, Suspect Hospitalized
An argument - apparently over the recovery of a boy's kite - Saturday brought violet death to the boy's father, wounds to another man and a head wound to a Salt Lake peace officer in the ensuing melee.
Police identified the shooting victims as:
Vern M. Clausing, 40, 211 Cornell St., who was killed; Officer Gary A. Fillerup, 28, 620 Hoover St., Midvale, in fair condition at St. Mark's Hospital, and Virgil D. Fix, about 73, 146 Cornell St.
BOOKED AT JAIL FOR INVESTIGATION
Fix later was booked into Salt Lake City Jail for investigation of murder. He was in good condition after treatment at Salt Lake General Hospital.
For almost an hour, police battled with pistols, rifles and tear gas grenades, a man barricaded in a tarpaper-covered shack near 146 Cornell St. (1540 West). After returning scores of shots with the officers, the suspect, wounded in the left arm, finally was taken into custody.
The incident which led to the death of Mr. Clausing was ignited shortly before 5 p.m. Fatal blasts from a rifle immediately followed.
Officers responding to the scene were met with a hail of bullets coming from the shack. Across a shallow canal from Officer Fillerup, first on the scene, was the body of the victim, lying head down on the bank...
Mr. Clausing's wife, Dollie, and six children ranging in ages from 19 to 7 were all standing by as lawmen were held at bay for about an hour by the suspect following the shooting.
Mrs. Clausing made the initial telephone call to lawmen at 4:56 p.m.
Other members of the family include daughters Sharlotte, 16, and Mary Lou, 14, and sons Robert, 19; Mike, 15; Rick, about 10, and Steve, about 7.
Mr. Clausing also is survived by two brothers and two sisters...
STARTED BY KITE
"As I understand it, a child's kite started the whole mess," Capt. Fillis said after preliminary investigation. "The victim, Mr. Clausing, was driving home north on Cornell Street when he saw one of his children (later identified as Ricky, 10) crying.
"He stopped the car and asked the reason. The child told him his kite had gone down in the yard near the tarpaper-covered shack. When the boy went into the yard to retrieve it, a man grabbed it, crumpled and burned it, according to the boy's account," Capt. Fillis said.
"Mr. Clausing then apparently went to talk to the man and there were two blasts from a gun," the captain said.
Late Saturday, a detective said Mr. Clausing was struck at least three times, with wounds in the face and the back. Officers would give no more information on cause of death...
The Salt Lake Tribune
Sunday, March 14, 1965
page B1
WEST SIDE S.L. GUN BATTLE KILLS ONE, WOUNDS TWO
Shot Hits Peace Officer, Suspect Hospitalized
An argument - apparently over the recovery of a boy's kite - Saturday brought violet death to the boy's father, wounds to another man and a head wound to a Salt Lake peace officer in the ensuing melee.
Police identified the shooting victims as:
Vern M. Clausing, 40, 211 Cornell St., who was killed; Officer Gary A. Fillerup, 28, 620 Hoover St., Midvale, in fair condition at St. Mark's Hospital, and Virgil D. Fix, about 73, 146 Cornell St.
BOOKED AT JAIL FOR INVESTIGATION
Fix later was booked into Salt Lake City Jail for investigation of murder. He was in good condition after treatment at Salt Lake General Hospital.
For almost an hour, police battled with pistols, rifles and tear gas grenades, a man barricaded in a tarpaper-covered shack near 146 Cornell St. (1540 West). After returning scores of shots with the officers, the suspect, wounded in the left arm, finally was taken into custody.
The incident which led to the death of Mr. Clausing was ignited shortly before 5 p.m. Fatal blasts from a rifle immediately followed.
Officers responding to the scene were met with a hail of bullets coming from the shack. Across a shallow canal from Officer Fillerup, first on the scene, was the body of the victim, lying head down on the bank...
Mr. Clausing's wife, Dollie, and six children ranging in ages from 19 to 7 were all standing by as lawmen were held at bay for about an hour by the suspect following the shooting.
Mrs. Clausing made the initial telephone call to lawmen at 4:56 p.m.
Other members of the family include daughters Sharlotte, 16, and Mary Lou, 14, and sons Robert, 19; Mike, 15; Rick, about 10, and Steve, about 7.
Mr. Clausing also is survived by two brothers and two sisters...
STARTED BY KITE
"As I understand it, a child's kite started the whole mess," Capt. Fillis said after preliminary investigation. "The victim, Mr. Clausing, was driving home north on Cornell Street when he saw one of his children (later identified as Ricky, 10) crying.
"He stopped the car and asked the reason. The child told him his kite had gone down in the yard near the tarpaper-covered shack. When the boy went into the yard to retrieve it, a man grabbed it, crumpled and burned it, according to the boy's account," Capt. Fillis said.
"Mr. Clausing then apparently went to talk to the man and there were two blasts from a gun," the captain said.
Late Saturday, a detective said Mr. Clausing was struck at least three times, with wounds in the face and the back. Officers would give no more information on cause of death...
Sunday, March 14, 1965
page B1
WEST SIDE S.L. GUN BATTLE KILLS ONE, WOUNDS TWO
Shot Hits Peace Officer, Suspect Hospitalized
An argument - apparently over the recovery of a boy's kite - Saturday brought violet death to the boy's father, wounds to another man and a head wound to a Salt Lake peace officer in the ensuing melee.
Police identified the shooting victims as:
Vern M. Clausing, 40, 211 Cornell St., who was killed; Officer Gary A. Fillerup, 28, 620 Hoover St., Midvale, in fair condition at St. Mark's Hospital, and Virgil D. Fix, about 73, 146 Cornell St.
BOOKED AT JAIL FOR INVESTIGATION
Fix later was booked into Salt Lake City Jail for investigation of murder. He was in good condition after treatment at Salt Lake General Hospital.
For almost an hour, police battled with pistols, rifles and tear gas grenades, a man barricaded in a tarpaper-covered shack near 146 Cornell St. (1540 West). After returning scores of shots with the officers, the suspect, wounded in the left arm, finally was taken into custody.
The incident which led to the death of Mr. Clausing was ignited shortly before 5 p.m. Fatal blasts from a rifle immediately followed.
Officers responding to the scene were met with a hail of bullets coming from the shack. Across a shallow canal from Officer Fillerup, first on the scene, was the body of the victim, lying head down on the bank...
Mr. Clausing's wife, Dollie, and six children ranging in ages from 19 to 7 were all standing by as lawmen were held at bay for about an hour by the suspect following the shooting.
Mrs. Clausing made the initial telephone call to lawmen at 4:56 p.m.
Other members of the family include daughters Sharlotte, 16, and Mary Lou, 14, and sons Robert, 19; Mike, 15; Rick, about 10, and Steve, about 7.
Mr. Clausing also is survived by two brothers and two sisters...
STARTED BY KITE
"As I understand it, a child's kite started the whole mess," Capt. Fillis said after preliminary investigation. "The victim, Mr. Clausing, was driving home north on Cornell Street when he saw one of his children (later identified as Ricky, 10) crying.
"He stopped the car and asked the reason. The child told him his kite had gone down in the yard near the tarpaper-covered shack. When the boy went into the yard to retrieve it, a man grabbed it, crumpled and burned it, according to the boy's account," Capt. Fillis said.
"Mr. Clausing then apparently went to talk to the man and there were two blasts from a gun," the captain said.
Late Saturday, a detective said Mr. Clausing was struck at least three times, with wounds in the face and the back. Officers would give no more information on cause of death...
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