SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 29, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake City police responded to the scene of a shooting late Sunday morning and found a man dead in the parking lot of a senior living apartment complex.
Police were first dispatched to the Taylor Gardens Apartments, at 1790 S. West Temple, at 11:44 a.m.
“They located a man on the ground inside the parking lot here with a gunshot wound,” SLCPD spokesman Brent Weisberg told reporters at the scene. “They immediately performed life saving efforts but the individual did die on scene.”
Weisberg said the victim pulled his vehicle into the lot, and was followed by a second vehicle that seemed to have been following him.
“At some point, the victim got out of his car and was confronted by at least one other person in that second vehicle. At that point, there was a fight here in the parking lot, and that’s what resulted in the shooting. And, again, the victim did die at the scene.”
The car carrying the one or more suspects drove away to the south, Weisberg said. The crime appears to be targeted, not random. It doesn’t appear the victim had ties to the apartment complex, Weisberg said.
Homicide detectives remained on scene as of 2:45 p.m., and were still reviewing video and interviewing possible witnesses.
A neighbor, who asked not to be identified, told reporters prior to Sunday’s police statement, that concerned residents had complained to property managers, and to police, about suspected criminal activity which he said was a nightly occurrence.
The neighbor claimed last time they called police with concerns, officers told them it was “not their business.”
Asked about concerned residents, Weisberg said he did not have crime statistics for the location, but officers patrol the area on a regular basis, and “are engaging with community members on a daily basis trying to prevent crime. Of course we can’t be everywhere at every single time.
“That’s why we’re asking the community members to continue to report things that they see something suspicious, go ahead and call 911 in an emergency situation.”
In a news release issued just after Weisberg’s talk with reporters, the SLCPD asked that people who may have information in this case to call 801-799-3000 and reference case No. 22-100925.
It also asked that any West Temple residents or businesses with surveillance video check the period between 11:45 a.m. and noon, and let them know if they recorded any speeding vehicles headed south.
