- The suspect is in custody. To read about it, click here.
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Sept. 27, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Officials have identified the man shot and killed Wednesday night in West Valley City.
The victim is 26-year-old Victor Manuel Garcia, Jr., according to a tweet by the West Valley City Police Department.
As of 10:30 a.m. Thursday, the suspected shooter was not in custody, WVCPD spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku told Gephardt Daily. Investigators believe they know the man’s identity, but they have not released it.
Vainuku said if officers are unable to locate the suspect through existing avenues, they may release his photo and name to the public in hopes of generating leads.
In addition, Vainuku said a search for the suspect led to an overnight car chase. At about 2 a.m. Thursday, officers located the vehicle of a known associate of the suspect. The vehicle fled, and police pursued it for about 8 minutes, until it hit a curb at 7350 S. State and blew out some or all of its tires.
“It pretty much took out the underside of the car,” Vainuku said.
A male and female were taken into custody, but a second male fled the scene on foot, and could not be located.
Investigators have not yet determined if those in custody have any connection to the Wednesday night shooting or possibly could have assisted the suspect. It is unknown whether the man who fled had a facial tattoo, Vainuku said.
Altercation led to shooting
The shooting that killed Garcia was called in at 9:11 p.m. Wednesday. Officers arriving at the scene, at 3030 W. 3500 South, West Valley City, found Garcia hanging halfway out of a silver sedan. He was unconscious and not breathing.
“Officers started CPR on him,” Lt. Steve Burke, WVCPD, told Gephardt Daily late on Wednesday. “The paramedics arrived shortly thereafter, hurried and loaded him, took him off to Jordan Valley West Hospital. About 5 minutes after that, we were advised he passed away.”
Police determined that three people had been in the car, including the 20-year-old female driver, Garcia, and another male passenger, age 24.
“During some sort of altercation in the car, the shooter was hit with a bottle or some other object,” Burke said. The object later was confirmed to be a bottle, used to hit the 24-year-old man in the head.
“During the altercation, he produced a handgun and fired at least one round, shooting the victim in the abdomen. And the driver pulled off in this parking lot to get help.”
The suspect fled, and a search by officers and K-9s failed to locate him, Burke said.
The suspect is described as a Hispanic man with a thin build, standing about 5 feet 6 inches tall. The man’s appearance was average, Burke said, except for a distinctive tattoo on his left forehead.
The officer did not describe the tattoo, and Vainuku said it is hard to describe and has no words or easily identifiable images.
The suspect is presumed to be armed since no firearm was found in the car, Burke said.
Gephardt Daily will have more on this story as information becomes available.
