Blue Lives Lost: Remembering Joseph Shinners (1990 - 2019)
Officer Joseph Shinners was shot and killed while attempting to apprehend a fugitive on January 5, 2019. Shinner was a member of the Provo Police Department in Utah for three years and was posthumously promoted to the rank of Master Police Officer.
Master Officer Joseph Shinners often returned home from a shift at the Provo Police Department with a familiar story to tell his wife.
The Utah cop loved to interact with people, and sometimes he would encounter those who needed shelter – in which case he'd reach into his own wallet to help.
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“Joe was the man who would come home from work and tell me multiple times that he spent $60 that night because someone needed a hotel room,” Kaylyn Shinners said during the funeral service for her husband, who was shot and killed in the line of duty.
Shinners was targeted Jan. 5 while trying to apprehend a “wanted fugitive” near a Bed Bath & Beyond in Orem, roughly 40 miles south of Salt Lake City, Provo authorities said.
Joseph Shinners pictured with his wife Kaylyn, their son, and their two dogs. "He was a really good Dad – and a really good husband," Kaylyn says. (Courtesy Shinners Family)
OFFICERS KILLED IN THE LINE OF DUTY IN 2019
“When another officer attempted to arrest the man inside a vehicle, the suspect fought and began to drive away with the officer,” the official release detailing the incident stated. “Officer Shinners ran to the aid of the officer, entered the truck, fought for control of the suspect’s gun, covered the officer with his own body, and was shot.”
The heroic sequence was the final selfless act for the 29-year-old father and husband, who, in the words of his wife, “loved the brotherhood of the police community.”
Kaylyn says she first met Joseph when she was 14 years old. ''He is a total jokester and he loves to joke around and laugh and tease people,' she says. (Courtesy Shinners Family)
Kaylyn Shinners told Fox News she was 14 years old when she met her future husband in junior high.
“He was my first kiss,” she said.
Shinners, his wife added, changed somewhat over the years, but always remained “a total jokester” who liked to “laugh and tease people.”
Shinners was posthumously awarded the Medal of Valor, Law Enforcement Purple Heart and Master Officer rank following his death. (Provo Police Department)
One of his favorite parts of his job as a police officer, Kaylyn says, was that he was allowed to be “very proactive.”
“He loved that it wasn’t a desk job, it was very hands-on,” she said. “He was on the bike team -- he loved that because he could get so much closer to people in the community. They weren’t scared away when they saw his cop cruiser coming through.”
Joseph Shinners and his family are pictured here during a Fourth of July parade last year. Kaylyn says he was working on bike patrol that day -- one of his favorite roles with the Provo Police Department because "he could get so much closer to people in the community." (Courtesy Shinners Family)
Outside work, Joseph Shinners loved to play sports, taking part in soccer and hockey – though he often was reduced to being a spectator after picking up yellow or red cards on the pitch or getting sent to the penalty box on the ice.
He was also thrilled to be a new father. On the last night of his life, Shinners spent his final moments at home snuggling his young son to sleep.
“He was a really good dad – and a really good husband,” Kaylyn said.
Joseph Shinners' plaque, bottom right, on the Utah Law Enforcement Memorial Wall. (Provo Police Department)
Shinners was posthumously awarded the Medal of Valor, Law Enforcement Purple Heart and Master Officer rank. A plaque with his name on it now hangs on the Utah Law Enforcement Memorial Wall at the state’s capital.
The flag that was flying over the headquarters of the Orem Police Department on the night of Jan. 5 was enshrined and presented to his family, a means of paying tribute to the officer who died “protecting the citizens of Provo, Orem and the entire state of Utah.”
“It’s nice to know that you live in such a good community that they are just willing to do so many things to love and support you,” Kaylyn said about the outpouring of support.
Kaylyn says on the night of the shooting, Joseph spent his last moments at home snuggling his young son to sleep. (Courtesy Shinners Family)
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At his funeral service, she called Joseph “my companion and partner for eternity.”
“He had a good mix of confidence and humility that made him a pretty awesome cop,” Kaylyn Shinners later told Fox News. “He really did love his job and he was really good at what he did. And I’m grateful for that.”
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