WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, May 9, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — A report of shots fired kept West Valley City police busy for awhile overnight as they talked with a rattled homeowner, searched for a suspected window climber and sorted through the details of what had occurred.
Police arrived on scene in the Chesterfield section of the city a little before 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.
WVCPD Sgt. Jake Hill said a homeowner had been asleep, but was awakened and thought someone was trying to climb in the window.
The homeowner, who recently moved into the area, told police that he came outside with his gun and confronted an individual, who took off running into the darkness when the homeowner fired a round into the ground.
Hill said no one was injured, and police did find the shell casing.
Police conducted a search in the area of Lester Street and Russett and Claybourne avenues in an attempt to locate the suspect who had taken off into the night, but they were unable to find the individual.
The initial report was that shots — more than one — had been fired. It turned out that the sound of the first gunshot caused some nearby residents to go and investigate before police arrived.
Hill told Gephardt Daily that there apparently had been previous problems between these residents and the newcomer, and as they approached the house, the homeowner decided to go back inside to avoid confrontation.
That was when the homeowner tripped heading back to the house and the gun went off a second time.
Again, no one was injured. Police found the shell casing and recovered the gun.
Hill said the homeowner was shaken up by the whole experience, and he will be cited for firing the weapon.
