Man killed at Magna barbecue identified by police


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MAGNA — The man who was shot and killed as he arrived at a barbecue in Magna Friday night has been identified by police.

The victim was identified Sunday as Omar Isael Gomez Salazar, 28, of Colorado. Unified Police Sgt. Melody Cutler said that Salazar traveled to Salt Lake City on Thursday for work. Salazar is survived by two children and a partner, said Culter.

Juan Alvarez, 44, of California, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, driving under the influence of alcohol, carrying a dangerous weapon while under the influence of alcohol, and failure to stop at an officer's command, after police located him in central Utah hours after the shooting.

Police responded to a report of shots fired at 8270 W. Westbury Drive shortly after 9:45 p.m. Friday. They arrived to find a man later identified as Salazar dead at the scene, according to a police affidavit filed in 3rd District Court.

Multiple people fled after the shooting occurred, but a few witnesses that remained at the scene told police what happened, Cutler said. Witnesses told police that Alvarez was at the barbecue and arguing with Salazar over the phone, and then Salazar arrived at the home where the barbecue was being held, the affidavit states.

"The (witness) said Juan shot (the man) as soon as he got out of the car," the affidavit says, adding that the shooting was caught on video by a doorbell camera. The footage was turned over to police.

The report says that the video showed a man, identified as Alvarez, shoot Salazar once as after he exited a vehicle and walked to the house with his hands in his pockets. The shooter then paces around the wounded man before kicking him, police wrote.

Cutler said police got the identification of the shooter from the witnesses who remained at the scene of the shooting. They learned that Alvarez had fled the scene. The police report states that investigators pinged Alvarez's cellphone to determine he was driving south on I-15 and authorities caught up to him in Millard County about 12 miles south of Scipio and nearly 120 miles south of the shooting.

Police wrote in the affidavit that they could smell a "strong odor of an alcoholic beverage" coming from Alvarez after he was taken into custody. He was then transported back to Salt Lake County and booked into Salt Lake County Jail.

Cutler said police were investigating the shooting and weren't sure about the relationship between Salazar and Alvarez or what prompted the argument prior to the shooting.

Contributing: Ashley Fredde, KSL.com

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Carter Williams is an award-winning reporter who covers general news, outdoors, history and sports for KSL.com.

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