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SALT LAKE CITY — A West Jordan man accused of killing a man by shooting him in the head at close range during a Halloween party has turned himself in to police.
Roy Anthony Duran, 20, surrendered to police in Clearfield on Monday and was then turned over to detectives from the Salt Lake City Police Department who booked Duran into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of murder, being a restricted person in possession of a firearm and obstructing justice.
Duran is accused of shooting Isaiah Valerio, 21, early Sunday.
A Halloween party was being held in a warehouse near 500 West and 600 South. Witnesses stated that Duran became involved in a verbal altercation with several people at the party and pulled up his shirt to reveal a gun in his waistband, according to a police booking affidavit.
"Witnesses stated that the altercation spilled out onto the loading dock of the warehouse. Detectives were told that (Duran) heard sirens and ran away from the loading dock, but returned a short time later," the affidavit states.
When Duran returned about 1:20 a.m., he punched Valerio in the head, according to the affidavit. Several people then became involved in a physical fight with Duran, allegedly prompting Duran to brandish a gun.
"Several eyewitnesses stated that they observed (Duran) approach the victim and shoot the victim in the head at close range," police wrote in the affidavit.
Family members claim Valerio was trying to help break up the fight when he was shot.
After releasing a picture of Duran to the public in an effort to find him, Duran turned himself in Monday.
Duran was previously convicted of being a restricted person in possession of a firearm in December 2019. He was given a suspended prison sentence and placed on three years of probation, according to court records. Earlier this year, Duran was released from supervised probation early after successfully completing the conditions of his probation, according to a progress report from Adult Probation and Parole submitted to 2nd District Court.
Last week, due to the recent spike in gun violence in Salt Lake County, District Attorney Sim Gill announced that he will no longer be offering plea deals to anyone committing a violent crime with a gun.
Valerio's killing is the 14th homicide in Salt Lake City so far this year, according to KSL.com statistics, and the 10th resulting from gun violence.
On Sept. 26, University of Utah football player Aaron Lowe, 21, was attending a house party at 2215 S. Broadmoor Street (2625 East) when he and a woman were shot. After firing two to three rounds, police believe Buk Mawut Buk, 22, walked up to the victims who were on the ground and fired five to six more shots. Buk has been charged with aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder.
