Police Burst into Utah Home to Find Man Stabbing His Parents to Death, Then They Fatally Shoot Him

A Utah man was shot dead by police while stabbing his parents to death inside their home earlier this month.

Police in West Valley City, Utah released body camera footage on Monday that showed Erik Bertelsen repeatedly stabbing one of his parents on the floor of their basement on New Year’s Day, when officers entered and demanded he drop the knife. Bertelsen, 35, did not comply.

An officer then fired two shots, killing the Utah man, who fell forward over the bodies of his parents on the ground, according to body cam footage reviewed by PEOPLE.

Bertelsen’s parents – Terrie Bertelsen, 63, and Kerry Bertelsen, 67 – were pronounced dead at the scene, according to local station KUTV. Officers arrived at the West Valley City home around 5:20 p.m., shortly after dispatchers received a 911 call from the house in which the caller could be heard screaming before not responding to the dispatcher’s questions.

The dispatcher “heard a commotion” on the line, but couldn’t collect information on the caller, West Valley City Police Deputy Chief Mike Fossmo said at a press conference on Monday. Afterwards, Fossmo said, the dispatcher “left the line open and sent officers to the home.”

KSL-TV reported earlier Monday that police learned of a confrontation between the son and his parents, though investigators have not made clear what Bertelsen’s motive may have been in stabbing his parents to death.

KSL-TV reported that the 35-year-old Bertelsen had a lengthy criminal history, with his most recent arrest occurring on Dec. 22, 2024, after running down a local road in his underwear and later telling police he had used “a lot of meth,” according to the outlet.

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. 

KSL-TV also reported that the Bertelsens’ son had previously been convicted on two counts of aggravated assault, spending nine months in the Salt Lake County Jail.

The outlet reported that Bertelsen had threatened to kill people at a party he was hosting at his parents’ residence in 2019 and was convicted of kidnapping in 2020 after threatening to kill his then-girlfriend and not letting her leave his parents’ house.

West Valley City Police Chief Colleen Jacobs said at the Monday press conference that police had been sent out to the home on previous occasions. She called the incident a “tragedy” when asked about the body cam footage on Monday.

“I see a tragedy, with the parties involved, and for the officers involved as well,” Jacobs told reporters.

“It was very traumatic event for the officers,” Jacobs added, “but they are pulling through.”