- Austin James Wilson is believed to be a witness to a fatal Salt Lake hotel shooting.
- Wilson, 26, was arrested Tuesday.
- Christian Lee, 32, was killed at SpringHill Suites; suspects caught in Wyoming.
SALT LAKE CITY — Police have arrested a man who they say was with another man who was shot and killed in a Salt Lake hotel this week and then fled the area before officers arrived.
Austin James Wilson, 26, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Tuesday for investigation of being a restricted person in possession of a gun, failing to stop for police and drug possession.
About 6:40 a.m. Monday, Christian Lee, 32, was shot and killed inside the SpringHill Suites, 625 S. 300 West. Arrest warrants were issued Monday afternoon for Chino Aguilar, 21, and Carlos Chee, 22, who were under investigation for murder. Both men were arrested that afternoon near Rock Springs, Wyoming.
Lee had rented two rooms at the hotel and was allowing a woman to stay in one of them. The woman invited Chee to the room and he agreed to bring marijuana, according to the warrants.
Not long after, Lee and a second man tried to kick the woman and Chee out. That's when police believe Aguilar came up and shot Lee.
Investigators have now identified Wilson as the man who was with Lee at the time of the shooting.
"Detectives were looking for (Wilson) due to the detectives needing to interview (him) due to being the witness of a major crime," a police booking affidavit states.
When officers located him on Tuesday, he "took off running on foot in an attempt to get away. While running, a firearm fell out of (his) waistband and onto the ground," the affidavit says.
A Taser was used to help take Wilson into custody. While being searched, officers found Lee was carrying a baggie of meth, according to the affidavit.
Police say Wilson is currently on federal probation because of a prior gun conviction and is not allowed to possess a firearm. However, he "decided to carry it since (he) stated that he had found the firearm in a stairwell," the affidavit states.
Police are currently working to have Chee and Aguilar extradited back to Utah.
