MIDVALE, Utah, Aug. 26, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A suspect is in custody early Wednesday morning after police say he apparently shot a man at a Motel 6 and then fired at a Unified Police Department officer who followed him as he fled the scene.
The incident began at about 2:23 a.m. at the Motel 6 on Catalpa Street, said Sgt. Melody Gray, public information officer for UPD.
“Officers were responding to the room where the shooting had occurred, when the officers observed the suspect fleeing from the scene,” she said.
They engaged in a foot pursuit, and as the suspect ran through the nearby McDonald’s parking lot, an officer followed. As the officer came around a dumpster, the suspect fired more than one round at him, Gray said.
“The officer did not return fire. No one was injured. The suspect continued fleeing,” she said.
At the Motel 6, police found a 32-year-old man who had been shot. He was transported in critical condition to Intermountain Medical Center.
Gray said a witness then contacted UPD and reported seeing a person matching the suspect’s description run into the storage units at S&S Storage on 400 West. Officers went to that location and found the suspect. He was taken into custody, and police recovered the weapon.
The investigation is still underway and officials were still gathering evidence at the motel and the storage units.
It isn’t known yet what charges will be filed. Gray said the suspect could potentially be charged with attempted homicide or possibly aggravated assault.
Murray Police responded to the scene with K-9 units. West Valley City, Sandy, and West Jordan police departments also assisted, and SWAT was on scene, as well.
“By a stroke of luck, if you will, our SWAT team was preparing to serve a search warrant on an unrelated issue,” Gray said, so SWAT responded to the Motel 6 to provide extra backup.
She said the officer who was shot at wasn’t hit and will be fine. He didn’t fire his weapon, so there is no specific protocol to follow.
Gray pointed out, though, that there’s never a good time to be shot at, and the department will make sure the officer is OK.
