Officials investigate Tooele County shooting involving injured driver
Jan 8, 2025, 3:41 PM | Updated: 5:36 pm
GRANTSVILLE — An odd confrontation between an apparently injured driver and a man trying to find out what was happening led to the driver being shot on Wednesday, according to police.
Two people testing drones in the area of Burmester Road, near I-80, watched a vehicle pull up on Wednesday morning “with visible damage from an apparent accident. The driver displayed signs of injury and disorientation,” according to the Tooele County Sheriff’s Office.
Sheriff Paul Wimmer with the Tooele County Sheriff’s Office explained the two people with drones were with a company out of Salt Lake, tasked with testing drones in the area.
“They didn’t know one another, but they noticed the vehicle was significantly damaged, like, had been in a recent accident,” Wimmer said. “And then they also observed some blood on the face of the driver. And so they thought he needed help.”
One of the drone operators called 911 while the other approached the driver to see if he could help.
“During the interaction, a confrontation escalated, leading to both men drawing firearms. Shots were fired, and the driver of the vehicle sustained multiple gunshot wounds,” the sheriff’s office stated.
Wimmer said the investigation is still ongoing to determine the cause of the escalation.
“It’s our understanding he was met with a not-so-agreeable reaction from the driver,” Wimmer said.
Wimmer told KSL TV it appeared there was concern the driver would leave the area.
“Their concern for that kind of caused them to kind of go for the keys as well to prevent his leaving the area, with the vehicle looking the way it was,” Wimmer said. “It was obvious he was struggling controlling the vehicle because it was significantly damaged.”
The injured driver was taken to a local hospital. The sheriff’s office said “The extent of his injuries is unknown at this time. The Tooele County Sheriff’s Office is actively investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident.”
Wimmer said the department found a freeway sign that had been hit, as well as damage to a guardrail at the off-ramp near I-88.
“There may have been some intoxication involved with this,” Wimmer said. “Just the driving pattern is clearly someone who was either suffering some form of intoxication or a medical condition, but there was also some evidence of some alcohol.”
Wimmer said nobody involved was taken into police custody at the time of publication as investigators are actively working to get answers.
No other information was immediately available.
Contributing: Shelby Lofton, KSL TV
This story may be updated
