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Man shot during home invasion in West Valley City

Posted at 2:56 PM, Apr 10, 2016
and last updated 2016-04-10 23:15:06-04

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah -- Three men broke into a  home in the middle of the night and shot the homeowner in the groin, according to West Valley City police.

The 26-year-old victim is in the hospital in serious condition while police search for the suspects.

The shooting happened at the Meadow Brook mobile home park near 1300 West 4000 South.

"At about 11:30 I heard a gunshot, it sounded like it might have been a firecracker, and just a few seconds later I heard a lady screaming," said neighbor Francine Bickerstaff.

Those screams that Bickerstaff woke up to were coming from the victim's wife, who was also home at the time of the home invasion. She was not injured.

Police say the suspects broke in through the back door. They are not sure of the motive, and the victim told police he does not know the suspects.

Neighbor Miguel Rojas was outside smoking a cigarette when he heard the gunmen yelling at the couple.

"Just give me the money, where is the money at," Rojas recalled.

Rojas said the next thing he heard was the gun shot, and then he saw the suspects running from the home. He came face to face with one of them. Rojas feared the next bullet was for him.

"When they were looking at me, just right up to me, because I thought they were going to shoot me," Rojas said. "And I was like, 'I'm going to call the cops' and they just ran from here, from the house."

Rojas said the men were dressed in black and left in a white car. A car that was apparently seen in the neighborhood before.

"One of the neighbors says those people in the white car were here all day on and off, its like they were watching that house," Bickerstaff said.

People who live in this park are worried there may be more victims.

"That is really scary, they could have just came in and honestly killed any of us if they can break in there, that just makes me wonder what if they can break in here," said Misty Booth.

However, other neighbors believe there is no way this was just a random home invasion.

"I don't know, it seems kind of suspicious to me, it seems to me that there is more to it," Bickerstaff said.

Police have very little to go on regarding descriptions of these suspects. If anyone out there has any information, you're asked to call West Valley City police.