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MURRAY — A man who has been in and out of prison several times over the past seven years was shot by an Adult Probation and Parole agent over the weekend.
But questions about what exactly transpired between the two men, and whether the parolee knew the man he confronted was a parole agent, remained unanswered Tuesday.
Just before 1 a.m. Saturday, an Adult Probation and Parole agent was in an unmarked patrol vehicle participating in a Metro Gang Unit operation in the area of 4500 South and Main Street, according to the Utah Department of Corrections.
A car pulled up next to the agent while he was stopped at a stoplight.
Joe Alvin Gomez, 29, got out of the passenger side of the vehicle, approached the agent's window and initiated an "aggressive confrontation," which eventually prompted the agent to shoot at the suspect while agent was still in his car, said corrections spokeswoman Maria Peterson.
Gomez then got back into his vehicle and drove off. The driver, Alejandro R. Arellano, 28, took Gomez to a local hospital where he was admitted in critical condition. Gomez remained hospitalized Tuesday, Peterson said.
Arellano was taken into custody on a $25,000 warrant, she said. The agent was not injured.
The agent, whose name was not released Tuesday, was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into the shooting.
Questions about why Gomez allegedly attacked the officer or if he knew the driver was a law enforcement officer were still being investigated, Peterson said. She declined to say Tuesday whether Gomez or Arellano were part of the agent's regular caseload that he was assigned to watch over.
Gomez has been convicted of drug distribution and possession of a weapon by a restricted person in the past. Peterson said since 2010 he has been sent to prison, paroled and sent back to prison for parole violations at least four times. He was most recently paroled on April 4.
Arellano was placed on probation less than a month ago, on April 24. He was supposed to report to jail on May 1 for a firearm conviction but failed to do so. An arrest warrant was issued for him in that case, as well as for missing a court date on theft charges, according to court records.
