Salt Lake man charged with shooting on freeway, injuring woman

SANDY, Utah — A Salt Lake man accused on multiple occasions of shooting his gun out of the window of his car as he drove on the freeway, resulting in one woman being injured, now faces criminal charges.

Hunter Bott, 21, was charged Monday in 3rd District Court with discharge of a firearm causing injury, a second-degree felony; and illegal discharge of a firearm, a third-degree felony.

About 2 a.m. on Sept. 17, 2021, Bott was driving “erratically” on I-15 between 7200 South and 11400 South “when he fired off two rounds from a handgun,” according to charging documents.

The shooting was witnessed by a woman who followed Bott. But as she tried to pass him, he fired a shot “out of his front passenger side window, at the driver’s side of (the woman’s) vehicle. The bullet passed through the front driver’s side door of (her) vehicle and into her left forearm. The bullet was later located on the driver’s side front floor board. (She) exited the freeway and drove to the Costco parking lot in Sandy where she called 911,” according to a police booking affidavit.

On Oct. 2, 2021, police say Bott posted a video of himself on Snapchat shooting out his passenger window while driving, according to police. He was arrested days later while at work in Grantsville after detectives used the video on social media to help identify him. When questioned, Bott admitted to firing a gun out of his car while driving on the freeway on that day, the charges state.

“When asked about the shooting on Sept. 17, 2021, Bott said he didn’t want to say he did something … He also explained that he likes to party and so on the weekend he’s ‘not in the right state of mind,'” according to the charges.