West Valley man fired 15 shots into bedroom wall of sleeping roommate, police say

A West Valley man who said he was feeling bad about his financial situation was arrested after firing 15 shots into the wall of a bedroom where his roommate was sleeping, police say.

A West Valley man who said he was feeling bad about his financial situation was arrested after firing 15 shots into the wall of a bedroom where his roommate was sleeping, police say. (Kristin Murphy, Deseret News)


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WEST VALLEY CITY — A man was arrested early Monday after he allegedly told police he released some frustration by firing over a dozen shots into his wall, where his roommate was sleeping on the other side.

Police were called to the West Valley home after other residents in the house heard gunshots. The first arriving officers were led to a 39-year-old man in his room in the basement.

"I entered the room and saw a handgun on (the) ground with multiple shell casings. I could also see multiple holes in the wall," the arresting officer wrote in a booking affidavit. "(The man) stated he was feeling bad about his financial situation and stated he misses his child and was thinking about hurting himself but decided not to shoot himself and decided to fire 15 rounds into the wall where his roommate sleeps on the other side."

The roommate was not injured. The suspected gunman was arrested for investigation of 15 counts of illegal discharge of firearm and property damage.

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Pat Reavy is a longtime police and courts reporter. He joined the KSL.com team in 2021, after many years of reporting at the Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio before that.

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