Midvale shooting sends one to hospital

MIDVALE — A man was shot in the stomach in a Midvale home Tuesday after an attempt at evicting a tenant turned violent.

The call reporting shots fired came to police around 2:45 p.m. from 7832 S. Holden St., said Midvale Police Capt. Steve Shreeve. He said the first officers who arrived at the scene stopped what they believed was the suspect's vehicle about a block away from the home and arrested the driver of the vehicle on several felony warrants.

After further questioning, police learned that the man wasn't involved but was merely "in the wrong place at the wrong time," Midvale Police Sgt. Marcelo Rapela said.

The actual suspect, a 28-year-old man, was living in the basement of the home. The landlord had asked some friends to come and help her evict the suspect, and the man became violent, shooting one man in the abdomen.

Rapela said both the suspect and the victim are involved in both gun- and drug-related activities.

Shreeve said it appeared the victim was shot with a 9mm handgun, and he was later transported to an area hospital. He was at least stable enough to flag down a pair of passing Sandy police officers.

Investigators are now looking for the suspect, who fled the scene in a full-sized Ford van that is green with a brown stripe on it. He has been described as a Hispanic male with a medium build, between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches tall. He was wearing blue jeans and a green shirt at the time.

— Emiley Morgan