Police: Moab man with grudge over 2025 parking dispute charged with attempted murder

MOAB — A 22-year-old Moab man is accused of firing more than a dozen rounds at a residence occupied by two law enforcers, allegedly as payback for a parking dispute that happened a year ago.

Zane Beecher Maher-Young was charged Monday in 7th District Court with two counts of attempted murder, a first-degree felony; causing property damage, a second-degree felony; and two counts of being a restricted person in possession of a gun and discharge of a firearm, both third-degree felonies.

On Thursday, about 3:30 a.m., police responded to a report of shots fired at a residence. The homeowners work for Adult Probation and Parole, according to charging documents.

"Upon my arrival, I observed that the residence … sustained multiple bullet holes," according to the responding officer. "A preliminary assessment of the property revealed bullet holes into the residence, into the garage, and into two vehicles … I counted at least ten distinct bullet impacts."

Shell casings were located about 30 yards from the front yard.

While responding to the scene, some officers spotted a man "who appeared sweaty, winded and out of place for the time of day. This individual was observed near the intersection of Spanish Trail and Spanish Valley, walking west toward the Shell gas station," the charges state.

The officers attempted to talk to the man, but "by the time they turned their vehicles around, the individual was no longer present," according to court documents.

Police contained the area where the man was last seen, and about 35 minutes later, spotted a man who was "sweating profusely" and "had blood on him," the charges state.

The man, Maher-Young, claimed he had just attempted to buy beer at the gas station and cut his hand while attempting to jump a fence, according to the charges. When officers asked if they could search his backpack, Maher-Young said no.

A search warrant was obtained, and a gun was found in the backpack.

"The caliber of this firearm was 9mm, which matched the caliber of the casings found at the scene of the crime. Additionally, a magazine that had the capacity for 24 rounds had only 10 rounds left in the magazine. There was also a full 17-round magazine in the backpack where the firearm had been found," the charges state.

Investigators contacted Maher-Young's father, who said "there had been an incident between one of the victims and Zane over a year ago. There had been a verbal altercation about a parking spot, and Zane's father stated that Zane had been holding on to that for a long time," according to charging documents.

After he was arrested, Maher-Young "admitted to purchasing a gun online and putting it together, planning his route to the residence as well as his escape, parking his vehicle several streets over as well as traversing through the residence businesses, as well as the actual shooting at the residence with both hands aiming purposefully at the truck associated with the altercation that had happened over a year ago and into the house knowing that at least two individuals resided there, one of which he understood was a former Moab police officer," the charges state.

Prosecutors also note that Maher-Young is on "federal parole." According to federal court documents, he set a fire in the press box of the football stadium at Fort Lewis College, in Durango, Colorado, in 2024, and placed a homemade explosive device at the Fort Lewis Police Department "that resulted in significant fire damage to two (Fort Lewis) vehicles and minor damage to a third vehicle," charging documents state.

He claimed he targeted the press box because the college was "taking funds from the cycling team and giving it to the football team that always loses and does not perform well," court documents state. He claimed he was targeting a parking enforcement vehicle at the police station "as he believed students would support this, as everyone on campus hates the parking guy. He said he did not initially target the patrol truck but thought that the parking truck would be the main target. He also made comments that he is a white guy who smokes weed and that he is not a fan of cops but that he was going for the parking truck due to students, who do not have money, getting tickets."

Maher-Young is scheduled to be sentenced in that federal case on Oct. 10.

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