SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Oct. 6, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Court documents and an updated Salt Lake City Police news release are providing new insights into a brutal homicide Saturday in downtown Salt Lake City.
A probable cause statement, filed in Salt Lake County Third District Court, identifies the suspect in the deadly daylight shooting as Farshad Hassan-Pouri, 49.
According to investigators, Hassan-Pouri shot and killed a 30-year-old male about 12:18 p.m. during an argument outside the Maverik store near 200 S. State St.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found the mortally wounded victim in a parking lot behind 185 S. State St. “with multiple gunshot wounds,” the updated news release said. “Despite emergency lifesaving efforts performed by community members, officers, firefighters, and paramedics, the man died on scene.”
After the shooting, witnesses followed Hassan-Pouri and alerted officers to his location a couple of blocks from the shooting, court documents claim.
“When officers found Hassan-Pouri near 200 East 300 South, they safely took him into custody and found him in possession of a firearm.”
After Hassan-Pouri’s arrest, SLCPD homicide detectives took over the investigation, the probable cause statement says. They interviewed “several eyewitnesses” who said “there was an argument between Hassan-Pouri and the decedent.”
During the argument, Hassan-Pouri allegedly “pulled a firearm out of his waistband and discharged the firearm several times in the direction of the victim.” The victim is then seen (on surveillance video) running away from (Hassan-Pouri,) court documents say.
After being read his rights, detectives said in the probable cause statement that Hassan-Pour “admitted to shooting the victim several times, chasing the victim, and then shooting him again.”
Detectives said Hassan-Pouri told them he was angered after allegedly being approached by the 30-year-old victim, whom he said was “talking shit.” He claimed he “told the victim several times to stay away from him,” however the victim continued to approach Hassan-Pouri, allegedly telling him, “Go f**k yourself!”
Hassan-Pouri allegedly told interrogators he then “pulled out his firearm and shot the male several times, followed him and then shot him again.”
In the probable cause statement, detectives said multiple shell casings were located in “two different locations” and those findings were consistent with surveillance video recovered from the building and witness accounts.
Hassan-Pouri has been charged with murder and felony discharge of a firearm resulting in serious bodily injury, according to court documents.
The victim’s name has yet to be released.
