MURRAY, Utah, Jan. 27, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Officials said Wednesday a shots fired case in Murray is being investigated as a hate crime.
A probable cause statement from the 3rd District Court of Salt Lake County said Andrew Warren Guarino, 33, is facing charges of:
- Felony discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony
- Two counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony
- Assault, a class A misdemeanor
Murray officers were called to the area of 136 West and Fireclay Avenue on Tuesday. The complainant told dispatch that a silver BMW-like car drove past him and shot paintballs at him, almost hitting him. The victim is a maintenance worker that was working on a property on Gillbride Avenue.
South Salt Lake Police Department received a call five minutes later in the same area where there was a silver BMW shooting at a gray pickup truck reported.
“He stated that he was shot with a paintball gun from the vehicle, and there were two male subjects in the vehicle; a Black male in the driver’s seat and a white male in the passenger seat,” the statement said.
“The victim stated that the driver then took out a handgun, and began shooting at the victim. The victim then got into his truck with a co-worker and began following the suspect vehicle. The victim stated that as he was following the suspect, both the passenger and the driver were shooting at the victim.”
The victim chased the suspect up to 3185 South and State Street where the victim ran into the suspect, the statement says. The victim then stated that the suspect shot at him again. South Salt Lake Police Department recovered .40 caliber casings and fragments from bullets on the ground.
The victim then chased the suspect to 2700 South and 270 East, where the victim hit the suspect’s vehicle to the point where the vehicle was inoperable. One of the suspects left the area, the other, Guarino, was detained by officers.
The victim stated that he saw both the driver and the passenger with a handgun, the statement said. There were multiple witnesses that reported to police they saw a gray truck chasing a silver BMW, and heard gunshots. No witness was able to see a firearm or who was shooting. There were also two rounds recovered from the victim’s tire, and there were two trucks at 3185 South that had damage from being shot at, the statement said.
The suspect was taken to Murray Police station where he was interviewed. After being read his Miranda rights, he admitted that he was the passenger in the vehicle and that they were shooting two of the maintenance workers with paintballs.
“The suspect made multiple racist comments regarding the Hispanic victims,” the statement said. “He denied having a firearm. The suspect continued stating negative comments about the victims’ nationality, and therefore the assault charge will be enhanced due to it being a hate crime.”
Guarino was transported to Salt Lake County Jail, where he is being held without bail.
