DRAPER, Utah – A day before a Utah police officer was killed, a man suspected of the shooting was looking for money, showing off weapons and behaving strangely, the sister of another victim said.
"He got out of the car and he was hyper, showing me a gun that has a laser and a machete and knives," Vicki King said late Tuesday about Timothy Walker.
Police believe Walker killed Draper police Sgt. Derek Johnson as he sat in his patrol car early Sunday after stopping to investigate a Volvo parked oddly along a road.
Walker, 35, is also accused of shooting his girlfriend Traci Vaillancourt in the back before turning the gun on himself.
Both remained in critical condition at Intermountain Medical Center as police waited to interview them about the shootings and a possible motive.
King, who is Vaillancourt's sister, told KSL-TV that Walker was "bad news," and had showed off the weapons on Saturday. Walker and Vaillancourt were homeless and needed money, but King said she only had $4.50 to offer. The couple had been living in motels for years and recently camped in the Volvo, she said.
King described her 34-year-old sister as a one-time model with a rare blood disorder that disfigured her face and left her addicted to painkillers and dependent on Walker.
"For years I have kept them away from my children," King told The Salt Lake Tribune. "They chose a different path."
They had a daughter five years ago who has lived most of her life with Walker's mother, court records show. The grandmother took permanent custody of the child on July 31 after her parents took no legal action.
Vaillancourt suffered a series of strokes after birth that left her impaired, King said.
"We tried and tried and tried to help her," King told the newspaper. "But you can't help someone who won't help themself."
Court records show that Walker owes $42,481 to an ex-wife for support of another child, with no payments made since 2004. Vaillancourt was charged with retail theft on Aug. 20 and has a criminal record littered with traffic violations and debt, records show.
Investigators don't have a motive for the shooting of Johnson, 32, who became a full-time officer in Draper in 2004 and was promoted to sergeant in 2012.
Burial will be at Larkin Sunset Gardens in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy.
Larkin Mortuary said a viewing of the fallen officer is set for Thursday evening, followed by a funeral at 11 a.m. Friday. The location for both services has yet to be determined.
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Information from: KSL-TV, http://www.ksl.com/
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