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Victim of Riverton shooting speaks after suspect arrested in Utah County

Posted at 9:34 PM, Jan 24, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-25 08:36:40-05

RIVERTON, Utah -- Saturday January 20th, while many Utahns were still sleeping, one family was waking up to the sound of a stranger breaking in and shooting a loved one twice.

The Smith family said this day will stick with them forever; it's the day 33-year-old Justin Gary Llewelyn almost got away with murder.

At 5:45 a.m. Saturday, Steve Smith said he heard the glass of the back door shatter. He bolted out of bed and ran downstairs to see what was happening. He heard a rustling in the garage and ran to the door.

"I opened the door and dude was in the car and I said, 'Hey!' and he was scuffling," Smith recalls. "He turns around to me and says, ‘Where’s your effin keys?’ and I slam the door and he already shot me. And as the door shut again, he shot through me and hit the fish tank.”

Steve said he did not even realize he had been shot; he was busy running back up the stairs to barricade the bedroom door and protect his family.

“Pushed me into the bedroom and said, 'There’s a guy in our house with a gun!” said Keri Smith, Steve's wife.

They heard Llewelyn back into multiple cars, run over Christmas decorations and then peel out of the driveway. When he was gone, Steve finally realized he had been shot.

"I was freaking out and I came down here and I was freaking out and I was yelling at her and I said 'Call the cops. I’ve been shot,'" he said.

"Just blood just dripping everywhere," Keri Smith recalled.

Steve said he is thankful for responding Officer Bell, who held him until the ambulance arrived. Miraculously, Steve lived and left the hospital that same day.

He stayed at a hotel, thanks to the kindness of his employer, while Keri and neighbors cleaned up the house. Everything flooded when their fish tank exploded and blood was on the floor.

“It’s not just hard for me. It’s hard for her. It’s hard for our son. He doesn’t even want to go out to the garage now to even get a drink," Steve Smith said.

Their 12-year-old son and young nephew were in the house at the time of the incident.

Even though Llewelyn is now in police custody, the Smiths said it does not change what happened, and that their house is no longer a "home."

"I feel so violated," Keri Smith said. "And then for him to be in the garage and shoot Steve? He already had our keys. He already had a way to get out. Why did he need to do that? He was already on his way out."

Keri Smith said she also does not understand why his family members were helping him after he committed these crimes.

Llewelyn also made off with everything in Keri's purse: bank cards, family photos, identification cards. She said she hopes police found those items on his person during his arrest.

The Smiths said the support from their neighbors and community has been amazing, but they plan to move as soon as possible to remove themselves from everything that happened in their house.

They also said they plan to be at every one of Llewelyn's court hearings. They want him to see the faces of the people whose lives he changed forever.