WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, April 22, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — Police were at the scene of a shooting Monday night in which a man in his 30s was shot four times, including a bullet that grazed his head.
West Valley City Police say the shooting took place in a residential neighborhood in the area of 3800 West and Benview Avenue shortly after 8 p.m.
Witnesses told police that “some kids were arguing,” and other people in the area became involved, West Valley City Police Lt. Justin Wyckoff said.
He said it isn’t known what the argument was about or how the shooter and the victim got into it.
A man who reportedly came across the street produced a handgun and shot the victim four times, Wyckoff said initially. The suspect then fled on foot.
Later Monday night, Wyckoff told Gephardt Daily that the victim apparently was the one who came across the street in an attempt to intervene and he was shot by one of the men involved in the argument. Wyckoff added that police were still sorting out varying accounts of what actually transpired
Police set up a containment area and brought in their canines, but neither the suspect nor the weapon were found.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic man in his 30s, with a shaved head and heavily tattooed arms.
Wyckoff said police believe this was an isolated incident between the shooter and the victim, and they do not believe there is any ongoing threat to the public.
Cones marked the blood trail showing where the victim, whom police have not identified, ran after being shot.
Wyckoff said the victim was transported to the hospital and is in stable condition after having sustained four gunshot wounds to his back, leg and head.
“We don’t know if it was gang-related,” Wyckoff told reporters. “We don’t have enough information about the shooter or the victim right now.”
Officers were canvassing the neighborhood and talking with potential witnesses. They are also hoping to locate any surveillance cameras that may have captured the incident.
Gephardt Daily will update this developing story as more information becomes available.
