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SALT LAKE CITY — A man was arrested after police said he fatally punched another person at a homeless camp earlier this month, according to a police document.
Juan Ayala, 46, was arrested Saturday on suspicion of criminal homicide by assault, jail records show.
A Salt Lake City police affidavit filed in 3rd District Court states that Ayala and another person were arguing at a homeless encampment near 235 S. Rio Grande Street on May 17 when he punched the other person in the face. The other person, whose name and age were not released, fell to the ground and lost consciousness.
The report stated that Ayala fled the scene after the punch. The person who was punched remained unconscious when police and emergency crews arrived; they were transported to a hospital where they died on May 21, according to the report.
Police wrote that the state medical examiner ruled the death a homicide due to blunt trauma the following day.
Officers then located Ayala on Friday, where he was interviewed about the incident. Police wrote in the affidavit that Ayala admitted striking the person but claimed he did so in self-defense, adding that he "did not intend for the victim to die."
He was booked into Salt Lake County Jail early Saturday morning.
