Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
TOOELE — A 9-year-old child was arrested after police say the child shot an adult family member, who later died from his injuries.
Emergency crews responded to a report of an unconscious man near 380 W. Millcreek Way in Tooele shortly before 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 16. When they arrived, they found a 32-year-old man bleeding from his head with what appeared to be a gunshot wound, according to Tooele Police Cpl. Colbey Bentley.
The man was transported to a Salt Lake County hospital in "extremely" critical condition. He died over the weekend.
Police didn't provide much more information about the case, but Bentley said an investigation led police to arrest a 9-year-old family member. Police did not say if the man who died was the child's father or what type of familial connection he had to the child.
Bentley did not release the name of the man or details about the child. He said police are in the early stages of the investigation and aren't ready to release details about what may have led up to the shooting.
Investigators are well aware of the "extremely sensitive nature" of the case, Bentley added. He said he's never seen anything like this case during his eight-year career, and others who have served on the force have also never dealt with a case where a 9-year-old was arrested in a homicide case.
"The impact (is being) felt not just by the family, but the community in general," he said. "This is something that's such an outlier that we've never dealt with before. ... We're trying to figure out how to cope with it and properly investigate it."
Meanwhile, police say there is no threat to the general public as they continue to investigate the homicide.
Contributing: Karah Brackin
