"It was an absolutely fast shot": a man died after gunshots, police suing Salt Lake

SALT LAKE CITY – A man died and a police officer was slightly injured by gun shots at a hotel in Salt Lake. Police sued a vehicle in South Salt Lake Monday morning.

The officer identified the driver of the vehicle as Harold Vincent Robinson, 37, of West Valley City.

Police responded to reports that shots were fired at a Sheraton hotel near 150 W. 500 South around 10:45 am, said Salt Lake County Sheriff Rosie Rivera.

Lauren Bennett, a Deseret News reporter, was in the McDonald's parking lot in front of the hotel when she heard the shot.

"It was terrifying," she says. "After what I saw, he was shooting at the entrance to the hotel. He was in the alley at the main entrance of the Sheraton and had just opened fire by firing.

"It was an absolutely fast shot," she added. "I do not know firearms very well, but I know that, in fact, it was like pop-pop-pop-pop, it was very fast. all intermittent. "

When the officers arrived, they spotted a vehicle that was fleeing and began to pursue.

Officers chased the vehicle through the city and proceeded south along State Street as the driver fired a rifle out the window at the police, Rivera said. A policeman was slightly wounded by a bullet, but was not transported to the hospital.

Raw video of the police chase

Nearby passers-by claimed to be hiding when they heard the gunshots in the busy street. Phillip Wesley told KSL TV that he was heading south on State Street in search of a place to eat, when he saw the man with his rifle through the window . He tried to turn around but could not get very far.

"I just got bored, just scared, I'm not going to lie to you, I stooped, I could not do much else," he said.

Toni, another witness who asked to be identified solely by her first name, told KSL reporters that she had heard the shots and that she had immediately encountered a nearby trade, where Other buyers also went to the shelter. She said she saw a lot of police cars on the road soon.

The lawsuit ended when the driver crashed against Princess Alterations at 3339 S. State St., according to Utah Department of Transportation cameras. He died on the spot and was identified by the police as Robinson late Monday afternoon.

Rivera said that there had been a shootout involving "an officer", but the police would not have said whether the Robinson had died as a result of the accident, the ball from his home. an officer or other cause. The incident is still under investigation.

Officers had previously received reports of an armed robbery committed in a Holiday Oil in Taylorsville, 2729 W. 4700 South, and another armed robbery committed in a 7-Eleven at Millcreek, 3330 S. 900 East, according to Rivera. A few minutes later, the police were informed of the shooting at the Sheraton. Officers believe that all three incidents are related.

Another person was slightly injured at 500 South and 200 East. The Salt Lake Police Chief, Mike Brown, said there were more than 15 incident-related crime scenes throughout the city.

Court records show that Robinson has a long criminal history in Utah dating back two decades, including violent crimes.

He was convicted of assault, a class B offense, in 2017. He was then sentenced to 12 months of probation and required to take an anger management course. He was not allowed to possess a firearm during this period.

Robinson was found not guilty in another case of assault in 2014. In 2003, he pleaded guilty to assault with bodily harm, a Class A misdemeanor. As part of the agreement, two Charges for aggravated first degree kidnapping and a second degree robbery charge were dismissed.

The road remained closed at 3300 South and State Street, confirmed the Salt Lake police on Twitter. Officials estimate that the road will reopen late tonight around 8 pm or 10 hours

Police ask the public for help as "eyes and ears" and report any details still unknown.

This story will be updated if more information is available.

contributing: Carter Williams, KSL.com; Dan Rascon and Tania Dean, KSL TV

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story indicated that a shooting involving an officer had occurred at the Sheraton. It has since been updated. The address of the Sheraton was originally listed under the number 150 E. 500 South. The article has been updated to reflect the fact that the Sheraton is at 150 West. Police also initially reported that a person had been injured during an armed robbery at Millcreek. This article has been updated to reflect the fact that someone was injured near 500 S. 200 East.

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