Sergeant Cory Blake Wride

Cory Blake Wride

Sergeant Cory Wride was shot and killed from ambush while checking on what he believed was an abandoned vehicle on Highway 73, near Eagle Mountain.

A subject near the scene opened fire with a high-powered rifle, fatally wounding Sergeant Wride before he was able to exit his patrol car. Sergeant Wride had given dispatchers a description of the car before he was shot and another deputy spotted it a short time later.

The driver of the suspect vehicle led the deputy on a pursuit and the occupant opened fire on him, striking him in the head, and then continued to flee. He then carjacked another vehicle in the Nephi area. He again continued to flee until crashing on I-15 after encountering Juab County deputies. He was critically wounded after engaging the deputies in a shootout and later died of his wounds.

The subject's 17-year-old girlfriend was arrested following the pursuit. She was charged as an adult with aggravated murder and several other charges. On July 8, 2015, she was convicted of murder and sentenced to 30 years to life with the possibility of parole. The earliest she can be released is 2044.

Sergeant Wride was a Utah National Guard veteran and had served with the Utah County Sheriff's Office for 19 years. He is survived by his wife and five children, and is buried in Spanish Fork City Cemetery at Spanish Fork, Utah.