Man accused of shooting at Orem apartment complex surrenders
Dec 1, 2022, 1:47 PM | Updated: May 21, 2023, 4:30 pm
Some residents of an Orem student apartment complex ran for their lives after shots were fired on the third floor on Nov. 19. A South Jordan man accused of shooting two people there was arrested Wednesday. (Redstone Residential and Axis Luxury Living)
(Redstone Residential and Axis Luxury Living)
OREM, Utah — Police have arrested a South Jordan man who they say shot at two people inside an Orem apartment complex, in a confrontation that was captured on video.
Jozef Richard VanderMeide, 18, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday for investigation of two counts of attempted murder and obstructing justice.
On Nov. 19, Orem police were called to the Axis Apartments, 1435 W. 800 South, where one man was shot in the abdomen and a second man — who works security for the complex — had a large bruise on his leg, according to a police booking affidavit.
“It was found that the bullet struck the phone in the front right pocket of (the second man) and lodged into the phone,” the affidavit states.
Investigators said they were able to view surveillance video of VanderMeide and two men he was with. He is seen “pushing past a large group of people on the sixth floor before entering the stairwell. As he enters the stairwell it appears he begins yelling with a male in green shirt,” according to the affidavit.
Witnesses said prior to the shooting, there was a party happening on the sixth floor.
VanderMeide is next seen on video entering the third floor area, followed by the two victims.
“Many individuals can be seen entering behind and appear to be wanting to watch the verbal altercation. It is evident that yelling is still going on between (VanderMeide) and the group that entered the floor,” the affidavit states.
As VanderMeide goes around a corner and is backing away, he pulls a gun out of his backpack in the video and points it at the first man who is about 6 feet to 10 feet away, police wrote in the arrest report.
“(VanderMeide) then lowers the gun and appears to chamber a round before firing toward (the first man). (The second man) is seen standing behind (the first) when the shooting begins and drops to the ground before running into another room. A large glass window is seen shattering behind them as they try to flee,” according to the affidavit.
VanderMeide and the two people he was with then run out of the building, police say.
After receiving several tips, investigators were able to identify the two men whom they say were with VanderMeide. One of the men told police that after the shooting, VanderMeide buried the gun near a Utah Transit Authority FrontRunner station in Orem, “near a flashing red light pole approximately 100 yards from the intersection of the train tracks,” the affidavit states.
On Nov. 22, officers searching the area near 760 South and 1400 West found a gun “buried under approximately 2 inches of rocks.”
An attorney representing VanderMeide contacted police on Tuesday stating his client wanted to turn himself in, according to the affidavit. VanderMeide was taken into custody on Wednesday.
Police have requested that VanderMeide be held without bail because they say he buried the gun, did not contact police for 10 days and made no attempt to check on the status of the victims.
