Man shot at bachelor party recovering

John Junior Pikula remained in critical but stable condition Monday after being shot by an off-duty Salt Lake County sheriff's deputy during a weekend fight at a club in Trolley Square.

Pikula's sister, Vanessa, said Monday that her brother was still in the intensive-care unit at a local hospital and not able to talk because of a tube in his throat.

John Pikula, 26, was attending a bachelor party thrown for him at Green Street Social Club, 602 E. 500 South, when a fight broke out inside the club.

Between 10 and 15 people were involved in the fight about 1:30 a.m. Saturday, according to police. At one point during the fight, an off-duty Salt Lake County sheriff's deputy shot Pikula in the torso. The deputy, whose name has not been released, is a 10-year veteran with the sheriff's office. He has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation.

Several other people also were injured in the melee. At least one other person in addition to Pikula was transported to the hospital in serious condition, though the types of injuries were not revealed Monday.

Pikula was scheduled to get married next Saturday. His sister said the wedding is now on hold. Vanessa Pikula wasn't at Green Street the night of the party and therefore doesn't want to talk about what happened.

"All we know is what we've heard," she said.

Sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson said sheriff's deputies are expected to have their guns "reasonably accessible at all times."

"You're a peace officer 24 hours a day," Hutson said.

A gun is just one piece of equipment that deputies are expected to have access to at all times, he said. "You never know when you'll have to take some enforcement action."

Both the sheriff's office and the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office will conduct investigations into the matter.

e-mail: preavy@desnews.com