Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — A woman was charged Tuesday with shooting and killing a man in a Salt Lake driveway.
Vanessa Nicole Johnson, 32, of Salt Lake City, was charged Tuesday with murder, a first-degree felony.
On Dec. 30, Jeremy Robert Martin, 45, was standing in a driveway at 1087 W. Wenco Circle when he started arguing with two other people and yelling, according to charging documents. During the argument, Martin was shot once in the chest. Police say two women then got into a car and drove off.
Using surveillance video, police were able to identify Johnson as the registered owner of the vehicle, the charges say. Detectives also tracked down the woman she was with.
"(The friend) stated that she started to get out of the car when she heard a loud noise. (She) looked up and saw blood on the sidewalk and Johnson holding a gun in her hand. (The woman) stated that Johnson got into the car and 'threw' the gun into the center console. Johnson told (the woman) to drive because Johnson could not see as she had been sprayed with pepper spray," according to the charges.
The women then drove to a nearby convenience store where Johnson washed the pepper spray out of her face and eyes. The court documents do not explain where the pepper spray came from or at what point it was used during the confrontation.
Details on what Johnson and Martin were arguing about or whether they knew each other prior to the confrontation have not been released.
Johnson was also arrested in August and accused of shooting at another man over a parking space.
