Driver charged in fatal hit-and-run crash in Salt Lake City from last fall
Mar 30, 2024, 7:02 PM
Police say they arrested a man Friday in the investigation of a violent murder in West Valley City. (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY — The driver of a fatal hit-and-run crash in Salt Lake City last fall is facing criminal charges.
Omar Salgado-Torres, 35, of West Valley City, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with leaving the scene of an accident involving death, a third-degree felony; driving on a suspended license, a class C misdemeanor; and speeding, an infraction.
Just before 11 p.m. on Oct. 20, Salt Lake City police responded to 1130 S. Redwood Road on a report of a hit-and-run.
“Witnesses stated that as they drove by, they observed a body lying on the side of the road surrounded by vehicle debris. Officers located a male, identified as Shane Patrick Morris, on the west side of the road with blood coming from his head and an extensive laceration to his torso,” according to charging documents.
Morris was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives collected nearby surveillance video and watched Morris walk across Redwood Road into oncoming traffic, the charges state. One vehicle is able to avoid hitting him, but a second vehicle, a dark SUV, strikes him and continues driving, the charges state.
On Oct. 24, an attorney for Salgado-Torres contacted police “who requested a meeting to discuss the collision,” according to the charges. Salgado-Torres told investigators that he was out getting something to eat, when he heard a “loud noise.”
“(Salgado-Torres) stated he did not see anyone and that he was freaked out, which is why he left the scene,” the charges state.
Investigators later determined that Salgado-Torress was traveling 58 mph in a 45 mph zone at the time of the crash. He also “did not have a valid driver’s license and had a suspended learner’s permit,” according to the charges.
