Man arrested in Rose Park gunshots

Police have arrested an 18-year-old man on several counts of aggravated assault following a shooting in a Rose Park neighborhood Tuesday.

Officers were called to a home near 400 N. Dorthea Way (1895 West) about 2:40 p.m. after receiving several calls of multiple shots fired, said Salt Lake Police Sgt. Robin Snyder. The shooting suspect was no longer in the house when police arrived, but there were still five people in the home, ranging in age from young children to at least one senior citizen.

Police said Ernesto Nonez, who also goes by Ernesto Perez, had been fighting with his girlfriend, believed to also be 18, and she returned to the residence with some family members, continuing the altercation.

"At some point he retrieved a gun and shot several times outside the house," Snyder said.

There were five adults and three children present during the shooting, but no one was injured by gunfire, she said. One woman suffered a minor dog bite to her hand.

Nonez left the residence, but while SWAT members had the home surrounded, police succeeded in reaching Nonez on his cell phone and persuaded him to return to the house.

About 20 minutes after the shots were fired, officers were seen with guns drawn taking Nonez into custody at the intersection of 400 North and Star Crest Drive (1840 West), about a half-block east of the home.

"We do believe he is the one who fired the shots," Snyder said.

Two other people were placed into handcuffs, as well, but Snyder said she didn't know how they were connected to the shooting. Officers said they are questioning people and gathering witness statements in what police said was a domestic dispute.

SWAT officers were called in to make sure there was no one hiding inside the home. Snyder said they encountered two pit bulls inside a bedroom but were able to clear the home.

The incident prompted a brief lockdown at nearby Meadowlark Elementary, 497 N. Morton Drive, which affected students in after-school programs.

The school was also a voting precinct for Tuesday's elections. Salt Lake County election officials temporarily relocated the precinct to Backman Elementary School, 601 N. 1500 West, before returning to the original location.

Nonez was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail Tuesday night on eight counts of aggravated assault, three of which are aggravated assault in front of a child, after allegedly firing a handgun outside the house. He was also cited for one count of domestic violence-related aggravated assault and one count of tampering with evidence, involving the missing handgun, police said.

Contributing: Lana Groves

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