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SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake police have arrested a man in connection with a shooting at a park Monday night that left two people injured, including a possible bystander.
About 7:30 p.m. Monday, Steven Mathew Macias, 32, grabbed a rifle from his car and started shooting at a man in a pickup truck in the parking lot at 17th South River Park, 1150 W. 1700 South, according to police.
Salt Lake police believe Macias shot a 65-year-old man who was sitting in the truck, then turned and shot into a crowd of about 30 people who were either watching or participating in a soccer game at the park, critically injuring a 21-year-old. Police say the crowd included teens and younger children.
During the shooting, a round also hit a passing car that had a person inside, Salt Lake police said. Police believe the gunman got into an SUV and fled the park west on 1700 South.
Emergency responders found the 21-year-old man critically injured on the soccer field. Police say he was shot in the chest.
The 65-year-old man was shot twice, a police booking affidavit states. After he was shot, he "ran from his vehicle and collapsed a short distance away. After he was located, he was transported to the hospital and required immediate surgery due to his injuries."
Police said in a statement they believe the injured man ran about 150 yards away from the scene, then collapsed in the vegetation before officers arrived.
He was found about 10 p.m. Monday "in a field to the south of the initial shooting scene" by police K-9s searching the area and was taken to a local hospital.
Tuesday morning, Macias called police and told dispatchers "that he had done something at a park in Salt Lake City," the affidavit states. He told police his location and was found by Utah Highway Patrol troopers in Juab County and was detained.
Macias was later booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of seven counts of felony discharge of a firearm and four counts of aggravated assault in connection with the shooting. After he was arrested, he told officers that "he deserved to be in jail for his actions," the affidavit states, adding that Macias also "stated that he did something wrong and that he deserved what was coming."
