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WEST VALLEY CITY — West Valley police kept busy investigating three separate shootings within four hours late Saturday and early Sunday. The shootings left two men and one dog hospitalized.
A man who claimed he was looking for his daughter approached a house and shot a homeowner about 11:50 p.m. Saturday. The incident happened at 3385 S. 3450 West when a man knocked on the door "demanding his daughter," said West Valley Police Lt. Julie Jorgensen.
"The homeowner didn't know his daughter or what he was talking about," she said.
The encounter turned into an angry confrontation that carried out of the house and onto the sidewalk. At some point, the man allegedly looking for his daughter pulled out a gun and fired several rounds, striking the homeowner once in the back, Jorgensen said.
The 42-year-old man was taken to a local hospital in critical condition. Police continued to look Sunday for the gunman.
Jorgensen said the homeowner told police he had never seen the man before.
"The impression I'm getting is he did not know the male or the person the male was looking for either," she said.
Police had only a limited description of the shooter Sunday, saying he is a white man in his 30s, taller, and was last seen wearing a light colored shirt and jeans. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 801-840-4000.
Man accidentally shoots himself in the leg
Another man was hospitalized after he accidentally shot himself in the leg about 11:15 p.m. Saturday.
The 32-year-old man was with a group of friends near 3500 West and 2600 South and was either playing with, or showing off a small caliber handgun when it went off and struck him in the leg, Jorgensen said.
"He reported he was the victim of a drive-by (shooting). But the trajectory (of the shot) made it really clear he was not," she said. "He had friends there. Looks like alcohol was involved."
The gun was recovered by detectives. The lieutenant said the man is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing guns. Prosecutors will be reviewing the case for possible charges of being a restricted person in possession of a firearm, she said.
Man shoots neighbor's dog
A man who claimed he was startled by his neighbor's dog early Sunday ended up shooting the dog in the animal's own yard, according to police.
About 3 a.m., the owner of a St. Bernard arrived at his home, near 3600 South and 1300 West, and let his St. Bernard outside to urinate, Jorgensen said.
A neighbor was also outside in his own yard at the same time.
"I don't know if the dog barked or what, but the neighbor said he was in his yard looking for skunks and the dog startled him on the other side of the fence, so he shot the dog," Jorgensen said.
The dog was shot in the leg and taken to a local vet for treatment. An updated condition of the dog was not immediately known Sunday.
Police confiscated the neighbor's gun as part of the investigation. He was not arrested Sunday, but Jorgensen said police would be turning the case over to prosecutors for potential criminal charges, possibly animal cruelty and illegally discharging a firearm.
