Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
MILLCREEK — A 19-year-old man was arrested Sunday after allegedly firing a gun into the air and ground at multiple locations, causing minor injuries to people nearby.
Javier Martinez was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Sunday for investigation of four counts of firing a gun causing injury and five counts of illegal discharge of a firearm.
The investigation began about 1:40 a.m. Sunday when Unified police were called to a Millcreek residence where shots were fired outside.
"Officers arrived at the location and found and collected several shell casings found in the middle of the street. No suspects or victims were located on scene as a result this shooting," according to a police booking affidavit.
About 8 a.m., however, a teen boy showed up at the emergency room of a local hospital with a "gunshot wound to his left foot and (he) also stated his vehicle had been shot. Officers responded to the hospital and learned that this individual was in the area of the Millcreek shooting earlier in the evening," the affidavit states.
The victim told detectives that he had gone to a house party with friends, including Martinez, but they were kicked out shortly after arriving. As they were leaving, Martinez pulled out a gun and fired several rounds into the air, police say. After he was taken into custody, Martinez claimed that "someone was throwing up gang signs at him" and that he "fired at least five or six shots into the air in an effort to get the individual throwing up gang signs to back up," according to the affidavit.
Martinez and his friends then went to a high school parking lot in Salt Lake City where several people in the group became upset with Martinez for using his gun, the affidavit states. The argument with one friend became heated and Martinez allegedly punched the teen in the face. That prompted four or five others to advance toward Martinez.
"Javier said he was scared for his safety so he pulled out his gun as he was getting jumped. He said he fired several shots into the ground as he was falling backward," the affidavit states.
The teen who later showed up at a hospital told police he was running away from Martinez "and a bullet appears to have struck the pavement and gone through his shoe and into his foot," the arrest report says. The boy underwent surgery "and had a large fragment removed from his foot." The boy also claimed he suffered "a bullet graze wound on his back."
Another girl told detectives that she too "had a wound on her neck and hand that appears to have been caused by bullet fragments or a bullet graze wound," the affidavit says. The girl told police she had later talked to Martinez on the phone who allegedly "admitted he had messed up."
A SWAT team went to Martinez's residence, where police say he was waiting to be arrested.
