OREM, Utah, July 28, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — An Orem suspect was arrested in a SWAT operation after he was implicated in a shooting that left a victim with two gunshot wounds.
Arrested by Orem police in the case is 22-year-old Ryan Ariel Marquez-Bencomo. He faces initial charges of:
- Aggravated assault, a second-degree felony
- Obstruction of justice, a third-degree felony
- Possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a third-degree felony
- Possession of a controlled substances schedule I/II/analog, a class A misdemeanor
Police responded to Mt. Timpanogos Hospital after the staff alerted them to a man who came to the emergency room with two gunshot wounds, one in the abdomen and one in the elbow.
Police were told the 25-year-old victim was shot after an encounter with a man he identified as Ryan Bencomo.
The victim initially told police he was preparing to leave for work when he saw two cars outside, and talked with the occupants, who said they were looking for a friend of his (friend 1). The victim said he did not know his friend’s location, so Bencomo, the driver an a gray Acura, “shot him twice with an AR-style rifle.”
When told officers said they would go to the crime scene, the victim changed his story, saying the shooting did not happen at his house, and he did not want officers at his house, Bencomo’s probable cause statement says.
The victim then declined to name the location of the shooting, Bencomo’s probable cause statement says.
One of the victim’s family members named the victim’s friend (friend 2), who had been present during the shooting, and the shooting location was identified as being in the parking lot of a local business.
Friend 2 said he had seen the victim approach Bencomo’s Acura, and the victim arguing with Bencomo before two shots were fired.
Friend 2 drove the victim home, then the victim’s father drove him to the hospital, the statement says. The victim required immediate surgery, Becomo’s probable cause statement says.
After a 90 minute SWAT operation at Bencomo’s residence, he a second person inside were taken into custody. Post Miranda, Bencomo reportedly told officers he and the second person had gone to the victim’s house searching for the victim’s friend (No. 1), whom Bencomo said had taken some of his possessions.
The victim did not want Bencomo at his house, the probable cause statement says, so the two agreed to meet outside the local business to talk.
Bencomo said when the victim and victim friend 2 arrived, they had metal bats with them. Bencomo said the victim approached his car, grabbed the barrel of his AR-style gun, and motioned like he was about to hit Bencomo with the bat, which is when Bencomo shot the victim twice.
A warranted search of Bencomo’s residence turned up the gun, along with plastic bags of a crystal substances that appeared to be drugs. The drugs were found in Bencomo’s wallet and backpack, the statement says.
The second person taken into custody from Bencomo’s residence is not currently charged in the case. Bencomo was booked into jail, and is being held without bail.
