Collection of Articles about Police Officers Killed by Semi- Automatic ...

Any member of Congress who argues that the assault weapons ban should not be
extended and strengthened is going to have to tap dance around the lives of Chief Gurr
and the 40 other officers shot down in the line of duty between 1998 and 2001 by
assailants wielding these guns.
http://www.vernal.com/oct30/fr.swettsentenced.TXT.html
Vernal man sentenced for providing rifle in chief's murder
Ocotober 30, 2002
A Vernal man was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a federal judge Wednesday for
providing the rifle used in the slaying of Chief Cecil Gurr.
Michael Nelson Swett, 45, will serve 120 months in federal prison " the maximum
allowed under federal law " after U.S District Judge Dale Kimball found that he provided
the weapon used by Lee Roy Wood of Vernal who pleaded guilty last month to the
slaying of Chief Gurr. Wood, 35, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of
parole.
Evidence provided during the sentencing hearing supported prosecutors' contention that
Swett gave a firearm to Wood to "make right a drug deal that had gone bad." "Mike
Swett loaded Lee Wood with the SKS assault rifle and ammunition, sent him out to take
care of a drug deal gone bad, and Chief Gurr's death was the result," Assistant U.S.
Attorney Brett Tolan said. Swett was charged in a two-count indictment returned a year
ago with possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and transfer of a firearm to a
convicted felon. Swett pleaded guilty to the first count, and prosecutors dismissed the
second.
The possession charge carried a 50-month sentence, but prosecutors were able to
convince Judge Kimball that Swett knew the gun would be used in a crime. The crime
resulted in the murder of Chief Gurr on July 6, 2001, when he responded to a dispute
between Wood and a girlfriend at a convenience store located just inside Uintah County.
Chief Gurr, who was off duty responded to backup his officers, was shot in the head and
died at the scene.
"Mike Swett played an integral role in both the drug deal and the death of Chief Gurr,"
Tolman said. "I think it was important to Cecil Gurr, as well as the community out there
that each individual responsible for his death be held accountable." The indictment
alleged that on July 6, 2001 Swett, a convicted felon, had in his possession a Norico SKS
7.62 x 39 caliber assault rifle, a Sako 7mm rifle, a Savage 30-06 rifle and various
ammunition.
Prosecutors were able to use evidence of the firearm's connection to Chief Gurr's death
during the sentencing considerations and the sentence was more than doubled to 120
months.
"This case graphically illustrates the effective tools we can bring to the table as we
partner with local and state agencies to solve crimes and get violent offenders out of our
neighborhoods and into prison where they belong," said U.S. Attorney Paul M. Warner.
"While county and state officials prosecuted the homicide, we were able to use federal
laws to charge the person who put the firearm in his hands." Swett's sentencing
originated from an investigation involving the Uintah County Sheriff's Department, the