AMERICAN FORK, Utah, July 13, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — An American Fork man has been arrested after the fatal shooting of his brother-in-law.
Kevin Stanley Ellis, 33, has been arrested for investigation of:
- Murder, a first-degree felony
- Possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a third-degree felony
- Possession of a controlled substances schedule I/II/analog, a class A misdemeanor
A call regarding shots fired came to dispatch at about 10:11 p.m. Friday. A second call from a woman reported a man had been shot.
Police responded to a residence, in the general area of 100 East and 900 South, and contacted Ellis and people identified as “KR” and “TG.”
“When patrol officers initially made contact with Kevin inside of the residence, they asked ‘who had the gun,’ to which Kevin responded, ‘I did.'”
The male victim had been shot multiple times, the affidavit says.
“Patrol officers attempted to perform first aid on the male, but medical arrived on scene and determined the male was deceased. The deceased male was identified by people inside the residence as a known family member.”
Lt. Stuart Fore, American Fork Police, told Gephardt Daily the victim was Ellis’ 42-year-old brother-in-law.
“There was an altercation between the two of them, and one brother-in-law shot the other one and killed him.”
Prior to administering first aid to the victim, “officers observed a knife in the victim’s right hand,” Ellis’ affidavit says. “The officer took a picture of the victim with the knife in the image. Officers also observed several shell casings near the living room area of the residence. Officers removed the knife prior to performing any life saving measures and secured it.”
The knife’s blade was facing back at the victim, the statement says.
A neighbor reported “hearing multiple gunshots and knew they were not fireworks.
“At 22:15:45, over six minutes later, TG called from inside the residence reporting a shooting had occurred,” the statement says. “TG reported her daughter was going through a separation and her daughter’s husband brought a knife and her (TG’s) son shot him.”
In Ellis’ wallet, detectives found a rolled bill with a substance that field tested positive for cocaine, the statement says.
Post Miranda, Ellis agreed to speak with police with his attorney present, the affidavit says.
“Kevin stated he was afraid for his life and shot someone in self-defense. Officers asked Kevin to tell them more about the incident. Kevin stated by the advice from his council, he declined to answer.”
Ellis’ lawyer told police that “the victim entered the residence without permission. Kevin’s lawyer stated the victim took Kevin and his mother by surprise and was agitated. Kevin’s lawyer stated the victim was carrying a knife. Kevin’s lawyer stated at this point, Kevin was afraid for his life and shot the victim in self-defense.”
Ellis’ lawyer told police the shooting victim was the estranged husband of Ellis’ sister, who had come to American Fork to take Ellis’ sister back to California after she left two or three weeks earlier due to “marital issues.” She also brought the couple’s two children to Utah.
The police statement says the victim’s wife was aware her husband was driving to pick her up, and she “agreed to have a conversation with the victim but was unsure/undecided whether she and the children would drive back home with the victim or if she would like to proceed with some sort of separation from the victim.”
The victim’s wife was upstairs with her sleeping children when the victim arrived, the affidavit says.
Ellis was booked into the Utah County jail and ordered held without bail.
