Kaysville officer who survived 2012 ambush now battles brain cancer

A 35-year-old Kaysville police officer received a visit from around 30 law enforcement agents Thursday after a surprise cancer diagnosis in August left his family and department reeling.

Jared Jensen was fishing with his father, former Logan Police Chief Gary Jensen, on the Weber River in early August when he was struck by violent headaches.

He got an MRI days later, as his headaches increased in frequency and intensity. On his way home from the scan on Aug. 9, Jensen got a call telling him to go directly to the emergency room because he had multiple tumors and lesions in his brain. The officer has not been home since.

Jensen has beat the odds before, though. In December 2012, only four months into his career as a police officer, he was ambushed in his car . A man pulled a handgun out of his waistband and emptied eight rounds into Jensen’s patrol car. Bullets pierced the car door, whizzing by Jensen’s head and into the steering wheel, computer and passenger door. Every shot missed.

The gunman, Zane Openshaw, was convicted of attempted murder and served eight years in state prison. Jensen sent an open letter to Gov. Spencer Cox when Openshaw was released in 2021, saying, "From the moment I narrowly escaped those eight bullets fired directly at me, I became a different person."

"I have had to take painful and humble steps in seeking out professional treatment. I have been diagnosed with an acute stress disorder with significant post-traumatic stress injuries," he said, arguing against releasing Openshaw so soon.

The incident also led Jensen to join the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team in 2016, where local law enforcement works with U.S. Marshals to take dangerous offenders into custody.

"He has paid a great sacrifice in doing this for us," said Mark Thomson, task force supervisor.

"Jared has done so much to serve his community," he said, "We are so grateful for you."

Members of the strike team and officers with the Kaysville police department joined Jensen's family, packing out a conference room at the clinic. Jensen wore a helmet because a piece of his skull had to be removed to relieve serious brain swelling. He was in a coma for a week after the surgery.

"We weren't sure how, or if, he was going to make it," his wife, Camille Jensen, said. When he did wake up, the right side of his body was numb and his eyesight was "touch and go for a minute," she said, and he was unable to speak.

"His progress has been amazing," Jensen's father said. But there's a lot of fight ahead as Jensen gets radiation on his brain and surgeons replace the section of his skull.

Kaysville Assistant Police Chief Seth Ellington said Jensen "is a very, very important part of our department" and "probably one of our most dedicated officers."

"It hits hard," he said.

Jensen, his wife and their two young children remain hopeful. "I never thought I'd be in this position, but I've done hard things and I'm going to do it again this time," he said.

A GoFundMe* has been created to help the family with medical expenses.

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