WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Aug. 10, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A shooting and robbery suspect shot by an officer of the West Valley City Department Sunday has been released from the hospital and booked into jail on two felony charges.
Mitchel Van Halsey, 39, has been charged on suspicion of aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony, and aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony.
The shooting charges is related to a bullet fired at a victim, which grazed his scalp, and for which he refused to be transported to the hospital.
A report of the altercation came to dispatch at about 1 p.m., Halsey’s probable cause statement says. West Valley City police responded to the shooting call, and arrived at the scene, a parking lot of a Carl’s Jr. located at 3469 S. Redwood Road.
An investigation revealed that the victim, A.B. and J.H. were sitting with a male they know as ‘Blue’ in the parking lot eating,” the statement says. “Victims A.B. and J.H. both stated that Blue mentioned that he wanted to sell a speaker to get money for heroin.
“A.B. and J.H. stated that when Blue found out that J.H. had money, he pulled out a gun, pointed it at J.H.’s head and pulled the trigger. The bullet grazed J.H.’s head causing a wound to J.H’s scalp. J.H. stated that after he realized he had been shot he got up and tried to get to the Carl’s Jr. while dropping cash on the ground and pleading with Blue not to shoot him again.”
Victim A.B. stated that after Blue picked up the money, he got onto a bicycle and rode eastbound across the northside of a motel just east of the parking lot, the statement says.
“Surveillance footage shows the suspect ride his bicycle towards the Indoor Swap Meet where West Valley City and Taylorsville officers located him. The male, later identified as Mitchell Halsey, had a pistol on him that matches the caliber of the shell casing found at the shooting scene. Mitchell’s UCJIS information confirmed that his moniker is ‘Blue.’
“Mitchell also had a speaker in a backpack that is consistent with what the victims described as the one he was trying to sell just before he shot J.H. The victims both described Blue as having tattoos on his face which is consistent with the tattoos observed on Mitchell at the time of his arrest.”
The probable cause statement does not mention the officer-involved shooting, which the WVCPD confirmed in a tweet issued at 2:17 p.m. Sunday.
“Shortly after 1 p.m., officers were dispatched to a shooting near the Carl’s Jr. restaurant,” says an update tweeted at 3:38 p.m. “Officers responded and located a shooting victim at the restaurant. Another officer located a suspect matching the description of the shooter nearby.”
“WVCPD officer confronted the suspect and at some point during that exchange, shots were fired. The suspect was hit. Transported in serious condition. No officers were injured.”
A gun was found near the suspect. An investigation into this incident will be conducted by Protocol Team One, which is led by the Salt Lake City Police Department.
A witness at the scene told Gephardt Daily that he was driving down the street when he witnessed some of the action unfold.
“Right at 1:09 p.m. all the cops and stuff are coming in,” he said. “It’s right here by the Swap Meet indoors, and I noticed that a police officer in a blue truck here just came speeding in and stopping. And at the same time, I could see, what, about 40 yards in front of him, two guys were fighting, and the police officer didn’t even put his truck in park, it was still rolling and he jumped off.
“And he took about three steps, and pow, pow, the subject dropped.”
Police have not confirmed the witness account.
Halsey, described in his probable cause statement as a homeless heroin addict, was ordered held without bail.
Gephardt Daily will provide more information as the story develops.
