This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A Salt Lake City man was being held on $1 million bail Monday following his arrest in a weekend shooting death.

About 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Leroy Daniel Valdez, 34, allegedly broke into his own apartment, near 1300 North and Redwood Road, intent on forcing an unspecified number of unwanted guests to leave.

Armed with a handgun, Valdez — who had been locked out — purportedly kicked down the front door to get inside, where a struggle ensued with 33-year-old Kenonran Goodman, according to jail booking documents.

Detectives say the gun went off during the struggle, mortally wounding Goodman in the head.

Valdez reportedly told police the gun fired while he was attempting to push Goodman — whom he described as "a man larger than him" — away from him.

Prior to kicking in the front door, Valdez had kicked in a ground-level window of his roommate's bedroom, after which Valdez heard a female yell out in fear or surprise, booking documents state.

After the shooting, Valdez fled the scene on foot but later turned himself in to police.

During a search of Valdez's clothing, police found a small baggie containing a crystal-like substance, which Valdez allegedly said was methamphetamine but was not field-tested at the time.

How many people were in Valdez's apartment, or how they came to be there, was still under investigation, SLCPD Sgt. Brandon Shearer said Monday.

Valdez was booked into the Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of first-degree felony murder.

Third District Court records show Goodman had been sentenced to a 1-year suspended jail term Oct. 6 after pleading guilty to a reduced count of class A misdemeanor assault.

Valdez's previous court record contained little more than a misdemeanor drug possession charge.

Twitter: @remims