LOGAN — The Cache County Attorney’s Office has ruled that law enforcement officers were legally justified in using deadly force during a chaotic standoff last June that resulted in a massive explosion and two deaths.
In a report released Friday, County Attorney K. Taylor Sorensen concluded that the officers’ actions were “reasonable and necessary” to protect themselves and residents during the incident on June 29, 2025.
The standoff began just before 5 a.m. when dispatchers received reports that Jorge Andrade, 36, had stabbed his wife and was heavily armed at his Hyrum residence at the Valley View Mobile Home Park, near 120 South 600 West. Andrade reportedly told his sister he had strapped homemade bombs to his body and intended to “blow the place up” if police approached.
The first deputy to arrive, Cache County Sheriff’s Deputy Alcantar, was immediately ambushed by gunfire. The intensity of the attack forced Alcantar to abandon his patrol vehicle and seek cover in the dark while Andrade continued to fire at him.
When a SWAT Immediate Action Team arrived, Andrade opened fire on them from the trailer’s windows. Officers returned approximately 57 rounds to suppress the threat as bullets struck nearby vehicles and traveled through neighboring trailers, forcing residents to hide in bathtubs.
Negotiators attempted to contact Andrade, but he remained hostile, threatening to destroy the entire block. At 6:57 a.m., a massive explosion destroyed the rear of the residence.
Investigators determined Andrade deliberately triggered the blast using an improvised explosive vest and a natural gas valve. Toxicology reports later confirmed he had methamphetamine in his system.
Autopsies revealed that Holly Jo Andrade died from multiple stab wounds inflicted before law enforcement arrived. Jorge Andrade’s death was ruled a suicide caused by blast injuries and smoke inhalation. Neither sustained injuries from police gunfire.
Sorensen determined that the officers involved—from both the Logan City Police Department and Cache County Sheriff’s Office—acted lawfully in response to an “immediate threat to the community”.
“The operators in the Immediate Action team were amply justified in their use of deadly force,” Sorensen wrote.