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FRUIT HEIGHTS — A person of interest is in custody after a commuter bus and a semitrailer hauling cement dust traveling on U.S. Highway 89 were hit by stray bullets early Monday morning.
No one was injured and investigators don’t believe the shots were fired with malicious intent, but the incident “could have been devastating to a lot of people,” said Davis County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Ty Berger.
Investigators determined the shots came from a nearby peach orchard and served a search warrant in the area.
During that search, authorities encountered a man who they said began acting suspiciously to investigators and was determined to be intoxicated and was causing a disruption to authorities and traffic in the area, Berger said.
Authorities then took the man into custody for public intoxication and disorderly conduct and expanded the search warrant to include outbuildings and his basement apartment.
The man is considered a person of interest in the investigation and is being questioned in connection to the shooting, Berger said.
HAPPENING NOW: Davis Co. Sheriff's Office serves search warrant at basement apartment as they look for evidence after a UTA bus and tanker truck were hit by bullets on Hwy 89. Investigators say shots came from this fruit orchard at 5:15 a.m. @KSL5TV@KSLcom@kslnewsradiopic.twitter.com/nODcRGP1ta
— Ladd Egan (@laddegan) August 27, 2018
Investigators believe a minimum of three rounds were discharged, as one bullet hit the bus and two bullets hit the semitrailer.
Onboard the Salt Lake City-bound bus, nine passengers and the driver were unharmed, but the bullet that hit the vehicle was “probably about an arm’s distance” from striking someone in the head, Berger said.
“It’s remarkable that we didn’t have injuries or even a death in this situation,” he said.
The situation didn’t present any danger to nearby residents and schools, according to a tweet from Fruit Heights City.
Area schools were not placed on lockdown because there was no apparent imminent danger, the tweet said. Children were kept inside for recess as a precaution, however.
Officers measuring where a bullet hit @RideUTA bus on Highway 89 in Fruit Heights. We don’t know much else yet. pic.twitter.com/0OUKvAAgVW
— Mary Richards (@kslmrichards) August 27, 2018
Berger called the incident a clear example of understanding the importance of proper firearm handling.
“Don’t point a weapon unless you know what you’re shooting at or pointing at and what’s beyond it,” he said.
Officials still don’t know what kind of weapon was used in the shooting and have only been able to recover fragments of a bullet and no shell casings.
A .22-caliber rifle was recovered in the search warrant but the weapon is not consistent with the shot, Berger said.
Officials don’t believe there is any reason for residents to be concerned or feel unsafe in the area.
Contributing: Ladd Egan, KSL TV; Linda Williams, KSL.com; The Associated Press
