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DIAMOND FORK CANYON, Utah County — Some archery deer hunters found themselves in the sights of an armed man who opened fire on them Thursday night, police said.
Investigators said the deer hunters were doing nothing wrong — they were on public property and had every right to be there. But police said a man who had been drinking and using drugs got into a fight with the hunters and shot right at them.
“Witnesses described hearing the rounds going over their heads, and anytime you can hear the rounds going over your head you're pretty close,” said Sgt. Spencer Cannon with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
That's why deputies said the archery hunters were fortunate to have escaped being hit by a man that deputies later found to be under the influence of drugs and alcohol.
Jentry Joyner, 32, was arrested on suspicion of firing the shots.
“It's a high-powered rifle, could easily hurt or kill someone. We don't know what was going through his head and what made him think he had a right to do that, but he clearly did not have a right and his actions were criminal. And that is why he was arrested,” Cannon said.
Deputies said the hunters did the right thing by leaving the area and calling 911, instead of retaliating. With the hunts underway, hunters are cautioned to always make sure they know whose land they are on and have permission to be on private property to prevent any heated confrontations.
“We get several incidents like this during the hunts and it is typically over one person thinking another person has no right to be where they are,” Cannon said.
In this case, deputies said the hunters were clearly the victims and said this incident could have easily ended in tragedy.
“We are fortunate it didn't have a worse outcome than this, that somebody wasn't injured or killed. He had been drinking, he had been using drugs, and those kinds of things in combination make it easier for a person to use poor judgment,” Cannon said.
Joyner was booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of aggravated assault and drug use.
