SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, June 9, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake City police have made an arrest in connection with the May 29 shooting death of a man outside the Taylor Gardens Apartments at 1790 South West Temple Street.
Killed that Sunday morning in the parking lot of the senior living apartment complex was Robert Barros, 40.
Police announced Wednesday that suspect Jared Lance, 41, has been taken into custody. Charging documents filed Wednesday say Lance faces preliminary charges of:
- Murder, a first-degree felony
- Possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a second-degree felony
- Obstruction of justice, a second-degree felony
The probable cause statement filed in support of Lance’s arrest says Barros was found shot in the upper chest and middle back. A witness reported seeing the victim parked in a silver Chevrolet Impala, when a four-door white Honda Accord pulled into the lot and blocked the victim’s Impala from leaving.
“A male, later identified as Jared Lance, wearing all black clothing, stepped out of the white Honda Accord and shot the occupant of the Chevrolet Impala. The victim stumbled away and died nearby.”
Witnesses told police the shooter then got into the victim’s car, and a second occupant of the Honda got into the driver’s seat. Both cars left the lot, with the Honda heading north on West Temple and Barros’ Chevrolet heading south. Video surveillance in the area helped to corroborate the witness account, the probable cause statement says.
The Chevrolet Barros had been driving was found at a Kearns residence. The Honda was located in the area of the homicide.
Female interviewed
A woman who said she was the owner of the Chevrolet Barros had been driving told detectives she had lent the victim her car, and he had not returned it despite her attempts to get it back. She said when she got close, Barros would flee, the probable cause statement says.
On the day of the shooting, she “and Jared Lance asked the owner of the white Honda Accord if they could use the vehicle to go and get her Chevrolet Impala. Detectives obtained surveillance video showing Jared Lance leaving the residence in Kearns by himself in the white Honda Accord about 10:50 a.m. wearing all black clothing.”
Video shows Lance returning to the Kearns residence at about 12:03 p.m. driving the silver Chevrolet Impala, the statement says. Video also shows the female leaving the residence and clearing the driver’s area of the Chevrolet, and removing a hat from the trunk.
Phone records show multiple calls made to the female, and she told officers “they had been attempting to locate Jared’s cell phone he had left in the Honda Accord. Jared Lance appears on surveillance video from the back yard of the residence a few minutes later.”
Lance was carrying a box, which he put in a fire pit before starting a fire with additional wood and lighter fluid, the statement says. The woman also brought the hat from the Chevrolet and put it in the fire pit, Lance’s probable cause statement says.
“Detectives located Jared Lance’s cell phone and driver’s license in the white Honda Accord when it was located in the area of the homicide.”
GPS data from the Chevrolet shows it traveled from the area of the homicide to the Kearns residence, the statement says. Lance’s cell phone records show he left the Kearns residence and traveled to the area of the homicide.
Police say that at the time of the incident, Lance was on probation or parole or out on bail awaiting trial on a previous felony charge. Lance is being held without bail in the Salt Lake County jail system.
Lance’s probable cause statement did not indicate whether the female would be charged, and did not give her full name. In making the arrest announcement in a news release on Wednesday, Salt Lake City police only listed Lance’s arrest.
