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SALT LAKE CITY — The man arrested in connection with the shooting death of another man in the middle of a crowded park Thursday has been convicted once before of murder.
Francisco Alvarez, 55, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of murder and possession of a weapon by a restricted person.
Several witnesses watched as Alvarez allegedly shot Jorge Veracruz, 29, following an argument about 6 p.m. at Riverside Park, near 700 North and 1400 West. Several youth baseball games were going on nearby at the time.
After the shooting, Alvarez got on a bicycle and fled on the Jordan River Trail.
"Alvarez was tackled off his bicycle by several witnesses as he fled and a (.22 caliber) handgun fell from his person," according to a Salt Lake County Jail report.
Two of those witnesses were reportedly off-duty police officers, one from West Valley and the other from Midvale, who were at the baseball games helping to coach.
Several .22 caliber shell casings were found next to Veracruz. Investigators were asking for the public's help Friday in locating Veracruz's family. They said the man, who is a Mexican national, did not have any family in the area.
Anyone who can help police locate Veracruz's family can call 801-799-3000.
Suspect has lengthy criminal history
Alvarez has an extensive history over the past three decades of being in and out of the Utah State Prison. In 1980, he was convicted of murder, a second-degree felony. The weapon used in that homicide, which occurred in the Ogden area, was a vehicle, according to prison records.
Alvarez intentionally ran over David Alma Brigham on Dec. 2, 1979, according to court records.
Alvarez was first paroled in 1986. But he violated his parole and returned to prison just a few months later, starting what would become a long trend of being paroled and returning to prison a few months later. He was paroled a total of seven times and sent back to prison between 1986 and 2000.
In 1994, Alvarez was paroled and returned to prison less than a month later, according to Department of Corrections spokesman Steve Gehrke.
Utah State Court records show Alvarez was also convicted of DUI in 1991, drug possession with intent to distribute in 1996 and providing false information to an officer in 2002.
If anyone in the area was familiar with the victim or knew him or saw him frequent the area, police are asking that they call 801-799-3000.
Alvarez was last at the Utah State Prison in May of 2002.
In 2003, he was charged in 3rd District Court with DUI, unlawful possession of a concealed weapon and unlawful possession of a handgun by a restricted person. The case was dismissed in state court to be handled in federal court, according to court records. In federal court he was found guilty of being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to nearly five years in prison.
In 2007, Alvarez was charged in state court with two felonies and five misdemeanors. He eventually pleaded guilty to failing to respond to an officer's commands and having no insurance, and felony aggravated assault and DUI charges were dismissed, according to court records. His state prison time was suspended.
Alvarez was found to be in violation of his supervised release with the 2007 charges and sentenced to another two years in federal prison.
Children who witnesses shooting may need help
Riverside Park was full of families and children at the time of the shooting. Child health officials are urging parents of children who may have witnessed the crime to watch for signs of trauma.
"Children, by virtue of being children, worry a lot about safety," said Douglas Goldsmith, the Executive Director of The Children's Center.
He says while some kids will quickly forget about the violence they witnessed, others may need help.
Goldsmith says affected kids may be irritable, unable to sleep and scared to go outside.
"There's another group of children for whom it could have been what we call a trauma reminder, that they've been exposed to this kind of violence in their homes, in their own personal neighborhoods and had an experience," he said. "Now this has brought back to the forefront."
Goldsmith says if your child witnessed the shooting and is showing changes in behavior that last about a week, get help. You can call The Children's Center at 801-528-5534 or visit the center's website.
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Story written by Pat Reavy and Sandra Yi.
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