Police: Multiple people detained after a shooting in West Valley City
Mar 7, 2024, 8:25 PM | Updated: Mar 8, 2024, 8:41 am
WEST VALLEY CITY — West Valley City police are investigating a shooting that brought traffic to a stop Thursday evening.
The West Valley City Police Department said the shooting happened near the intersection of 3200 West and 3500 South. According to a witness, two trucks were traveling eastbound and bumped into each other before one of the drivers opened fire.
Surveillance footage from a nearby gas station shows a black lowrider and a lighter-colored truck, possibly a GMC or Chevy Silverado, traveling eastbound in the middle lane. After crossing the intersection, the lowrider stops abruptly, and the lighter-colored truck behind it crashes into it.
The vehicles then merge into the right lane where they almost hit each other again before disappearing out of the camera’s view. Seconds later, an employee at the gas station said he heard about five gunshots fired.
“It was an older truck, and he was cutting off this other truck, so I was like, ‘OK, I’m going to go check it out; I’m going to go stand outside,’” Jacob Swisher said. “Then I heard shots, and I was like, well, that’s weird, so I was like, I’m going to go back inside.”
In the chaos of the shooting, police said that at least three other cars crashed into each other.
“Based on what we know at this point, we believe the parties knew each other,” said WVCPD Lt. Jason Vincent. “The parties that were involved we have detained right now … we’re just working through some interviews, and we don’t have any victims as far as anyone being shot.”
According to police, the drivers knew each other and may have been involved in an altercation on Wednesday that escalated to the shooting.
Police said the driver of the low rider pulled over shortly after the shooting at a nearby pizza store. Officers located the other driver, and both were being questioned. Police suspect the shooter was the driver of the Silverado.
Police said they recovered two shell casings on the street. Vincent said no one was injured by the gunshots.
Police diverted traffic at the intersection as they investigated the shootings.