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A woman who was shot multiple times outside a Millcreek house last week while trying to help a friend was still fighting for her life on Friday.
The condition of Jai Hogue, who was hit by gunfire in the head and lungs and has a severed spine, has been alternating between critical and extremely critical, Unified Police Department Lt. Lex Bell said.
But Jennifer Andrus, the friend Hogue was trying to assist, was recovering after allegedly being shot four times by her husband. Andrus lost an eye and sustained wounds to her legs and an arm in the Aug. 22 shooting.
Andrus remained in serious condition, but "she is getting better every day, is stable," Bell said.
He added that the woman did not suffer any brain damage, despite being shot in the head.
Valentin Dulla Santarromana, Andrus' estranged husband, was arrested after a three-hour standoff at his home, near 700 East and 3300 South.
Late Wednesday, detectives submitted their recommended charges to the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office, a list including numerous felony counts of attempted aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping and illegal discharge of a firearm.
Also, the DA is seeking a 10-day extension from the court in order to keep Santarromana behind bars until formal charges are filed.
"This is an involved and complicated case," Bell said, but "they anticipate those charges becoming official some time next week."
Bell said the two women, both 42, had gone to the home together so Andrus could pick up some things.
Andrus had filed for a protective order against her husband on Aug. 17. A hearing in the case had been set for Aug. 31 in 3rd District Court.
Hogue waited in the car while Andrus went inside on Saturday; the two thought Santarromana would not be there, according to the lieutenant.
"Basically, the wife walked into an ambush," Bell said.
Hogue heard some kind of commotion and ran toward the door, Bell said. She was shot multiple times outside the home and retreated before collapsing.
Santarromana held his wife hostage for more than three hours while negotiators tried to persuade him to surrender.
When SWAT team members heard shots being fired in the home, they forced entry to the residence. Santarromana allegedly fired more than a dozen rounds at the team members, then fled to the basement, where he allegedly shot his wife before releasing her and surrendering.
Andrus is a University of Utah professor who teaches English, writing and rhetoric, and Hogue works for the Open Classroom charter school. Andrus knows Hogue through the Salt Lake City school, which her children attend. Andrus' colleagues at the Department of Writing and Rhetoric Studies said in a written statement that she "is a beloved professor and colleague and we are deeply saddened by this terrible incident."
"Our thoughts and prayer are with Professor Andrus and her family during this difficult time," the statement says.
Hogue has been a librarian at Open Classroom for several years and was to begin teaching preschool on Monday.
In a statement released through the school, her husband said, "Our family and friends are concentrating all of our efforts on helping the victims and their families. The tragic events that happened on Saturday have been heartbreaking and the families need their privacy so that we can begin the healing process."
Reporter Bob Mims contributed to this story
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