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WEST VALLEY CITY — A man was shot and killed by a housemate while he was sleeping in his bed early Thursday, police say.
Just after 4 a.m., West Valley police were called to 4268 S. 3270 West on a report that a 23-year-old man renting a room in the basement had been shot. The first arriving officers attempted life-saving efforts but were unsuccessful.
The person who called police also pointed the first arriving officers to Miguel Zamora Bonilla, 21, according to a police booking affidavit. Bonilla, who also lives in the home, was found sitting inside a vehicle in front of the house.
The caller told police he "heard a loud bang" about 3:20 a.m. and went to the basement to investigate. He looked in Bonilla's room and discovered he was gone. He then entered the victim's room "and found he was unresponsive," the affidavit states. He "pulled back the covers and found (the victim) had been shot."
Police say the man then contacted Bonilla by phone and asked him where he was. He then drove to Bonilla's location and picked him up.
When questioned by police, Bonilla said that he woke up about 3 a.m. "and had a bad feeling," so he "got dressed and went outside to address the feeling," according to the arrest report.
When he went back inside, he opened the victim's door and fired two rounds at him, the affidavit alleges.
He told police that the victim "was lying in bed with the lights off when he fired the rounds. (He) said he fled the residence and was unaware if he struck (the man)," the affidavit states.
Bonilla then took the gun apart and discarded the pieces in various sewers in the area, according to police, along with some of his clothing.
"(He) later said the first time he exited the residence, he developed the intention to make the shooting look like a home invasion and walked around the block to make it appear other individual entered the residence," police wrote in the affidavit. "(Bonilla) admitted to shooting an individual while they were lying in bed and took significant steps to hide evidence related to the crime."
Bonilla was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of murder and obstruction of justice. The name of the victim has not yet been released.
The arrest report does not say whether police are also investigating why it took approximately 40 to 60 minutes for 911 to be called after the shots were heard.
