KEARNS, Utah, July 22, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Charging documents reveal more information about a fatal shooting Friday in Kearns for which the victim’s girlfriend was arrested.
Unified police were called to the scene, at 5537 S. 4220 West, after a woman reported her son had been shot and was not moving.
“The caller stated her son, Dominique Vigil and his girlfriend, Sandra Perez, were arguing over her son’s alleged infidelity,” say arrest documents for Perez.
“(The caller) said Sandra had shot Dominique and he was not responding. (The caller) reported Sandra had left prior to her calling 911 and Sandra took the gun with her. Upon arrival, officers located Dominique, who appeared to be deceased from several gunshot wounds.
The woman said Perez, 21, had been living at the residence for about two years, and had been in a relationship with Vigil for about three years. The woman said she woke up and heard the couple arguing.
The caller, Vigil’s mother, “said Sandra had admitted to throwing and breaking Dominique’s cellphone. (The caller) said Dominique grabbed Sandra’s makeup containers and went to put them in (the caller’s) room. (She) said Sandra started hitting Dominique in an attempt to get her things back, and Dominique in return pushed her to get him off of her.”
The caller said “she stepped in in an attempt to stop Sandra from hitting Dominique and Sandra started hitting her too. (She) said Sandra grabbed her shirt and tore it off of her and then ran to her room and locked the door. (The caller) said eventually Dominique got back into the room and they shut the door. (She) said she walked back to the kitchen and that was when she heard three gunshots.
The caller “said she walked into the room and saw Dominique fall to the floor… said Sandra was still holding the gun, and when Sandra saw (the caller) standing there she pointed the gun at her and pulled the trigger.”
The caller/Vigil’s mother “said Sandra continued to point the gun at her, but she went to her room to get her phone to call the police. (She) said that was when Sandra left.”
Perez was located after calling dispatch and reporting another incident at a different address. She was taken into custody and still had the handgun with her, charging documents say.
Post Miranda, Perez “said she and Dominique had a relationship where they would fight, sometimes the fights became physical. Sandra informed detectives that she had found Dominique was using an old social media account and she confronted him about it, believing he was being unfaithful. Sandra said the argument stopped and then she continued it.”
Perez said she took some of Vigil’s belongings, including his phone, and threw them on the ground. The phone broke, she said. He then took a plastic tote with her makeup, and tried to put it into his mother’s room.
“Sandra said she was trying to get him to give it back to her, and he started hitting her. Sandra said she was hitting Dominique back, and then (his mother) stepped in and started hitting her too. Sandra said she was defending herself from Dominique and (his mother) and she ran to their bedroom and Dominique was right behind her.
“Sandra said she believed Dominique was going for the gun which he had used to threaten her with in the
past. Sandra said she and Dominique both reached for the gun, but she got it first. Sandra said she must’ve had her finger on the trigger already and when she turned the gun towards Dominique, it went off and Sandra said she thinks the gun went off three times.”
Perez said she believed the victim’s mother was coming at her with another gun, so she pointed the gun in her hand at the mother.
The woman said Vigil’s mother fled down the hallway, and she “took the opportunity and ran out too.”
Perez was arrested for investigation of:
- Murder, a first-degree felony
- Aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony
- Criminal mischief, loss $500-$1,499, a class A misdemeanor
- Assault, a class B misdemeanor
Perez was ordered to be held without bail in the Salt Lake County jail system.
