SANDY, Utah — A man was shot and killed in Sandy after a possible road rage incident that began on Interstate 15 on Wednesday.
According to the Sandy Police Department, the incident between two men began on the highway at around 9:30 a.m. when one, Rodrigo Monroy, cut off another driver. The other driver "suggested" Monroy pull over, according to the police report, leading to the men getting off I-15 near 10640 South Holiday Park Drive.
After stopping near a Maverik gas station, the victim went up to Monroy's vehicle and hit it with his hands. Monroy then allegedly pulled a gun from under his seat and pointed it at the other man while telling him to back away.
When the victim tried to grab the gun, a fight began, ending when Monroy pulled the weapon away and fired one shot into the other man's chest. The victim, only identified as being in his 40s, died after being transported to a nearby hospital.
Monroy, 32, told police that he had "brake-checked" the victim on I-15 and continued to follow him off the highway. Claiming to be scared, Monroy pulled the gun, but admitted to officers that he didn't "think about just backing up and leaving the area."
Police took Monroy into custody where he was charged with murder and felony discharge of a firearm.
Robbie Komarnicki is a manager at Legends Pub & Grill Southtown, across the street from the shooting scene.
She says she was getting to open up when she heard a popping noise, something she originally thought might be from one of their speakers.
"I'm thinking maybe that was a gun that I heard, but as fast as it happened, my very first reaction was, it was a speeding violation that they were pulled over very quickly," said Komarnicki.
Within a matter of minutes, she says she learned it was much more than someone getting pulled over.
"That's what I initially thought until I saw the ambulances show up," said Komarnicki.
Her general manager, Brooks Mandryk says he was surprised when he got a phone call about it.
"There's been someone murdered at Legends and my immediate reaction was just absolute disbelief," said Mandryk.
Mandryk says while it's normal to see cars get pulled over in this area, he has never seen anything like this.
"We've been open since August of 2019 and nothing even remotely like this has ever happened in this area," said Mandryk.
While both Mandryk and Komarnicki say this is a safe area, they are sad to see something like this happen just across the street from their building.
"That's the conversations we're having inside was not about that, it was about the families that are all going to be affected because of this," said Komarnicki.
Sgt. Greg Moffitt with Sandy Police explained that while road rage isn't uncommon, this incident is an extreme case.
"Road rage, we get calls for that, you know, even in the city, we get calls for that week and I'm sure that higher patrol, they deal with it multiple times a day," Moffitt said. "I mean, this is as bad as it gets, obviously."
