Suspect in a Kearns park shooting taken into custody, police say
Sep 4, 2024, 12:54 PM | Updated: 12:57 pm
KEARNS — The Unified Police Department took the primary suspect in the Oquirhh Park shooting into custody Tuesday afternoon.
At around 4 p.m., police arrested 20-year-old Colby Hawkins in West Valley City.
The initial incident
On Sunday, police responded to a situation in which two groups at a party got into a heated conversation near a restroom at the busy Kearns park.
One person pulled out a gun and shot at the victim, who sustained three minor bullet wounds to the cheek, face and shoulder.
Unified police Sgt. Aymee Race said another person took out a gun and returned fire. The initial shooter fled the scene while the second person who fired a gun stayed at the scene.
Police searching for shooter after one person was shot, injured near Utah Olympic Oval
New details emerge
The shooting victim was released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery, Race said.
She also said this incident has been confirmed to be “gang-related.”
The weapon from the shooting has also been recovered.
Race assured Kearns community members that the area is safe, and that this was an isolated incident.
“Don’t hesitate to come out to these parks,” she said.
