Police ID man allegedly involved in shooting and dispute with escort


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MIDVALE — Police identified the man they say shot a woman at an apartment complex in Midvale after the two had a disagreement over an escort service transaction Tuesday.

Michael Workman, 53, of Greenville, South Carolina, was apprehended Tuesday afternoon, less than five minutes after the shooting occurred, Unified police said.

Police responded to calls of a shooting around 2:35 p.m. and a witness told Unified police officers about a man he had seen running from an apartment and getting into a semitruck.

Police found a 35-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to her side at the apartment where the shooting occurred, a unit of the Springs of Country Woods Apartments at 6945 S. Well Wood Road. She was taken to a local hospital in serious condition but is expected to survive.

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Workman had contacted the woman via an escort ad on a website known to police that is used as a common advertisement for escort solicitation, according to Unified Police Lt. Brian Lohrke.

The woman, originally from Las Vegas, invited Workman to the apartment, though she does not live there and only uses the apartment for her escort jobs, Lohrke said.

"Workman met the victim at the apartment... where an agreement for sex was agreed upon. During the exchange of services, an argument ensued where Workman demanded his money back," Unified police said.

The victim refused to return the money and Workman produced a firearm and a fight ensued between Workman, the victim and the victim's boyfriend who was also in the apartment at the time, as well as a 5-month-old infant, police said.

Workman fired multiple shots during the argument, hitting the victim, his own finger and then "pistol-whipping" the victim's boyfriend before fleeing the apartment.

Police took Workman into custody following a "high-risk stop" at 7200 South and 900 East, but Workman did not attempt to flee or fight, according to police. A firearm was also found in Workman's possession.

Workman had suffered a minor hand injury, which was later identified as a gunshot wound, and was treated in the hospital. He was later released and questioned by police Tuesday night.

Workman told police he wanted his $60 back for not getting what he had asked for, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report and said "he did not mean to shoot the female but the gun discharged, striking the female in the lower torso," the report states.

Workman was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail in connection with felony counts of aggravated assault, aggravated robbery, felony discharge of a firearm and sex solicitation.

The investigation of other involved persons and crimes are still pending.

More details will be released as they are received.

Contributing: Pat Reavy


Liesl is a web reporter at KSL.com, section editor of KSL's Tech and Science section and a student at Brigham Young University. You can email her at lnielsen@ksl.com.

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