Man, 21, shot and killed at party in Murray

MURRAY — Jennifer Sorensen doesn't remember what she was dreaming about Friday night.

But she remembers what woke her up.

"I heard two, and it was boom! It was just loud," Sorensen said of the gunshots that woke her early Saturday about 4 a.m.

The victim of the gunshots, 21-year old Mike Alvert, died right outside her house, police and Sorenson said. She didn't know what to make of the noise.

"I thought it was TRAX or something on the freeway,” she said. “I looked out the window and there is this gentleman, just flat. You could tell he was gone. It was just so sad."

Murray police detective Jeff Maglish said Alvert had been attending a party in the area. Sorensen called police who found Alvert just around the corner from where the party was taking place.

"When officers arrived, they located a victim on the ground," Maglish said. "That victim was later determined to be deceased."

Police believe that there was an all-night party taking place at a house in the area of 6600 South and 630 West. After shots were fired, the party broke up.

"When the people started to scatter, this is where the victim ended up," Maglish said. "We're still investigating at this point."

Maglish said as many as 30 people were at the party and that police are working to interview all of them. There are no suspects at this point, but the shooting is believed to be gang-related.

"Apparently, the party (organizers) had invited rival gang members," Maglish said, adding that they may have done so unintentionally. "With technology these days, a lot of these parties are (announced) through text messages and stuff like that. People might not have even realized they were inviting somebody who was from rival gangs."

What prompted the shooting is unknown and Sorenson said the violence is uncharacteristic of where she lives.

"It's a beautiful neighborhood," she said. "Everybody knows everybody. We never had a problem before."

Police said there have been complaints about this house in the past, but primarily concerning noise and nothing as severe as homicide.

Neighbors said the house is being rented and the actual owner lives overseas.

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