OREM, Utah — A typically quiet neighborhood in Orem was turned into what some residents described as a “warzone” Monday night, after a man was shot and killed by police during the execution of a search warrant.
The Utah County Major Crimes Task Force had reportedly been investigating 33-year-old Alejandro Andrews Demery for several weeks in connection to suspected drug activity. On the night of the fatal incident, law enforcement officers arrived at Demery’s home to serve a warrant. Shortly afterward, shots were fired, leaving Demery dead.
Officials have yet to confirm the exact circumstances of the shooting or clarify whether the warrant execution was directly related to the drug investigation.
Longtime residents of the Orchard Neighborhood, where the incident occurred, expressed shock and concern. Many described the area as peaceful and family-friendly—a place where such violent episodes are nearly unheard of.
“It’s a nice location, we don’t usually have this type of stuff going on,” said Robert Gardner, who has lived in the neighborhood for two decades.
Gardner noted that the home in question had drawn attention in recent months. According to him, the residents had moved in a year or two ago, and since then, there had been frequent visitors and unusual activity.
“There’s a lot of things going on over there, a lot of action, a lot of people coming and going, it seems like,” he said.
Other neighbors echoed his observations, describing the house as closed off and the people living there as reclusive.
“The few times I saw the people out there, they’re not very sociable,” said neighbor Bladi Flores. “You figure out something, why it’s always quiet, windows closed, no movement rarely, and that’s it.”
Gardner recalled that he was home when the incident occurred and that his children were the first to hear gunshots.
“They just told me they heard a couple, two or three gunshots,” he said. After stepping outside, he heard someone yelling for help. Gardner said he briefly returned indoors to get a flashlight, and by the time he came back outside, the street was filled with emergency vehicles.
“They locked this place down like it was a warzone,” he said. “There’s a moment when you know everything goes quiet, and it goes on for long enough that you don’t need a paramedic to say something went down.”
The heavy police response included approximately 13 patrol vehicles, two ambulances, and a firetruck.
As of Tuesday, many questions remained unanswered. Neighbors are still seeking clarity on why the raid was conducted so late at night, and whether anyone else was in the home during the shooting.
“We don’t know who it was. Some people we know, and some of them we don’t know,” Gardner said. “And you never know if there’s an innocent person in the middle of a group of people that are less than innocent or less than able.”
The Utah County Major Crimes Task Force has not released further details, and the incident remains under investigation.