TAYLORSVILLE, Utah, Sept. 1, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A man was shot Saturday night after police say he showed up at a Taylorsville home shoeless, intoxicated, and with a gun.
Unified Police Department Detective Ken Hansen said the trouble began at about 6:30 p.m. when someone dropped off a man, in his 40s, at a home where a children’s birthday party was underway.
The homeowner and the disheveled, intoxicated visitor knew each other, Hansen said. At one point, the homeowner removed the magazine from the gun the man had tucked in his waistband.
Words were exchanged, the man was told to leave and as he did, the homeowner returned the magazine to him.
A neighbor who saw what was going on went into his own home and came back out with his own gun, which he put in his waistband, Hansen said.
The homeowner who was hosting the children’s party walked over to talk with his neighbor.
“The suspect returned and engaged both of them, and then he pulled out the gun,” Hansen told Gephardt Daily. “He was pointing the gun at both of them, at the homeowner and the neighbor. And the neighbor pulled out his own gun and shot him and he went down.”
Hansen said the wounded man is from Tooele and is a restricted person, meaning he cannot legally have a gun. He was transported to the hospital in serious condition, but his injuries were not life-threatening.
The shooting took place at the northeast corner of Manzanita and Hemlock Drive, and was witnessed by several neighbors, but no children saw what occurred.
“If someone shows up at your home unexpectedly like that, it’s best to call 911,” Hansen said. “Intoxicated with a gun is a recipe for disaster.”
The Salt Lake County district attorney will determine who will be charged in this incident, Hansen said, adding that it appears the neighbor shot in self-defense.
Officials are working to find the person or people who brought the intoxicated suspect to the house and dropped him off.
Gephardt Daily will update this developing story as more information is made available.
