Police arrest man on suspicion of murder after woman dies, 2 are injured in shooting

Police arrest man on suspicion of murder after woman dies, 2 are injured in shooting

(Salt Lake County Jail)


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WEST VALLEY CITY — Police arrested a man on suspicion of murder after a shooting in West Valley late Saturday night left a woman dead and two other people injured, including a 15-year-old boy, officials said.

Jayson Chase, 39, was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail early Sunday morning for investigation of several charges, including murder, aggravated assault and obstruction of justice, according to jail records.

Police responded to a call from a gas station clerk at Holiday Oil, 3086 S. 2700 West, just before midnight Saturday. They found a 15-year-old boy who had stumbled into the gas station convenience store with a gunshot wound in his right shoulder, West Valley spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku said in an emailed statement.

As officers gathered information from the boy, a vehicle pulled up to a nearby traffic light. Police stopped the vehicle and found a 34-year-old woman in the back seat with a gunshot wound to the head, according to Vainuku. The officers attempted to save the woman, but she died at the scene.

Soon after, police received a call from someone who claimed a man with a gun was chasing them near Valley Fair Mall. Police responded to the call and found Chase.

"Our officers came in contact with this male, and some of the statements he made lead them to believe he had knowledge of what had happened with our other two victims," West Valley Police Lt. Shane Matheson explained.

Chase was arrested and booked into jail for investigation of eight charges, some of which were connected to incidents earlier in the month.

Investigators believe five people were traveling northbound on 2700 West in the vehicle — including the 34-year-old woman, the 15-year-old boy and Chase, all passengers in the back seat.

"Witnesses inside the vehicle reported hearing popping sounds coming from the back seat," Vainuku said.

Both the boy and the woman were shot, and the boy fled the vehicle and went to the gas station to get help. Evidence also indicates that the driver was shot and wounded, but that they drove to another location and got out of the car, Vainuku said. Police have not found the driver, nor do they know if they received medical attention.

When the driver got out of the vehicle, another person the passengers knew got into the car and set out for the hospital to seek medical attention for the woman, Vainuku explained. They stopped when they spotted the emergency vehicles at the gas station to which the 15-year-old had fled.

The front-seat passenger was not hit and has since been located.

Officers are still investigating the incident and are unsure what led to the shooting.

"Chase was interviewed by detectives and is believed to be the suspect in the shooting," Vainuku said.

Officers are not yet releasing names of the victims.

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