SALT LAKE CITY, Feb. 18, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — Two men have been charged with murder in the Friday morning shooting of a man at an apartment at 1930 S. West Temple.
The victim was identified Friday afternoon as Melvin Dyer, 51. The suspects now charged in his death are Brody Olson, 36, and Tonita Holland, 38.
Salt Lake City Police Detective Richard Chipping told Gephardt Daily that police were called to the scene of an argument with shots fired at about 5:30 a.m. When they arrived they found Dyer dead, and another man and woman injured with what Chipping described as “grazing head wounds.”
According to a probable cause statement, Olson and the victims were involved in a physical altercation in which one of the victims fought with him and bit him over his left eyebrow and on his head, and another victim hit him in the head numerous times with a flashlight.
Olson allegedly fled to an address in South Salt Lake, and the residents at that address called 911 because of Olson’s serious head injuries. According to the probable cause statement, Olson told an acquaintance that he had just done a “heist.”
When police arrived at the South Salt Lake address, they observed Olson drop a dark-colored, hooded sweatshirt with what appeared to be recent rips. His physical appearance matches the description given by witnesses inside the apartment, and he had cuts on his head and above his left eye.
Olson has been charged with first-degree felony aggravated murder, aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery; second-degree felony burglary; and third-degree burglary, purchase, possession or use of a firearm, and theft; and misdemeanor mail theft.
Holland was Olson’s driver, according to a probable cause statement. He was charged with one count of felony murder.
