WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — A suspect was arrested for allegedly shooting and seriously wounding a man Friday night in West Valley City.
Police were called to reports of gunshots and screaming near 2800 S. High Commons Way shortly before 11 p.m. The caller said they saw a white car leaving the scene afterward.
Officers responded and found a trail of blood leading to one of the residences nearby. There, they found 29-year-old Alexander Ernesto Ventura Lopez.
Police said Lopez had blood on his face. He reportedly told them that he got into a fight with two friends, which started inside the residence and continued into the front yard. He claimed that the other two grabbed a gun from their car and shot at him as they fled the scene.
While investigating, WVCPD received a report from Murray Police that a gunshot victim had arrived at Intermountain Medical Center. The witness who drove the victim to the hospital said the victim was shot in West Valley and that Lopez was the shooter.
The victim suffered a gunshot wound to his neck, and the bullet also punctured the victim's lung, according to the police report. He was unable to provide a statement.
The witness told police that he originally went to pick up the victim at the residence where the shooting would soon happen. He said Lopez began firing at the victim as the victim walked to the witness's car. He said Lopez tried to chase them on foot as they drove away and continued to shoot at them.
Lopez, however, claimed that the victim and witness came over to sell him a gun. He said they began arguing after he declined the sale, and that the two men started assaulting him. He said he grabbed a gun out of the witness's waistband and shot it twice. However, he claimed that he shot it into the ground and never at anybody.
Police said they learned that Lopez gave a fake name initially, then they discovered his real identity. They said he is an "alien who is illegally or unlawfully in the United States," and thus is forbidden from possessing a firearm.
Lopez was booked on suspicion of aggravated assault, felony discharge of a firearm (two counts), possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, providing false information to a police, and intoxication.
He is being held without bail.
