Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
VERNAL -- A Vernal police officer was recovering from a gunshot wound Sunday. Police said the man who shot him was booked into the Uintah County Jail.
Police said they received a call Saturday night from neighbors who said they saw a man peering into the windows of a home on Dale Avenue. Officer Dustin Gray and another officer responded to the call and arrived at the home -- which police said belonged to the suspect's ex-girlfriend -- around 10:20.
The suspect, 24-year-old Jesus Martinez, was crouched down behind a Dodge Durango in the driveway. When Gray approached him, police said Martinez stepped out in front of the car, pointed his gun at Gray and fired four times.
A witness, who asked to remain anonymous, told KSL, "Shots were fired, and the police officer ran over in front of the neighbors' house and called for help. Then he was hit."
One bullet struck Gray's thigh, the others hit a nearby car.
Police said after Martinez shot Gray, he turned to his ex-girlfriend's home and fired another eight shots through the basement window. He jumped through that window, into the basement and confronted his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend.
"This individual had actually pressed the gun, his gun, to this individual's head and told him he was going to kill him," said Dylan Rooks, acting chief of the Vernal City Police Department.
Police were able to stop the fight and took Martinez into custody. He apparently told police he didn't mean to shoot Gray.
"He actually commented that shooting the officer was not his intent for going to the residence," said Rooks. "He said he had other business to take care of."
Gray was expected to be released from the hospital Sunday afternoon.
"As far as what it could have done and what it did do, obviously we're all lucky and he's blessed that it turned out the way it did," said Rooks.
The Vernal Police Department said it would work with the district attorney on the investigation. Investigators said Martinez could face two counts of attempted homicide and attempted burglary.
E-mail: ngonzales@ksl.com
