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One man was dead, three people were injured and another man was in custody in the aftermath of what police called a random attack in Salt Lake City.
Kepedro Kegler, 43, was arrested after allegedly assaulting four people in three episodes along 500 South between 7 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, according to Salt Lake City police Detective Greg Wilking.
Kevin McCann, 55, was killed in one attack, according to police.
All the victims, and their alleged attacker, were believed to have been homeless, Wilking said.
The assaults happened near the Uptown Security Storage facility on 500 West, according to Wilking, and under a freeway overpass at 600 West.
Wilking said all of those involved in the altercations were homeless and living in Salt Lake City. The detective said Kegler attacked the victims at random and for "unknown reasons."
According to a probable cause statement, Kegler, shouting expletives as he wielded a rock, initially assaulted two people near 600 West and 500 South before assaulting another person nearby, shouting, "die, die, die." All suffered head injuries.
He then allegedly went on to fatally attack McCann with a concrete paver stone. The probable cause statement alleged Kegler, screaming "Die Mother———," attacked McCann as the victim lay on the ground,
Wilking described the attacks as "unprovoked" and noted that McCann was on the ground when he was struck. Police noted that McCann suffered head trauma and appeared to have died from blunt force.
Three victims were taken to a hospital and are recovering. Two were in serious condition, according to police, but were stable.
Kegler remained in the Salt Lake County jail Wednesday, where he was being held without bail on suspicion of first-degree felony aggravated murder and three second-degree felong attempted murder counts.
Earlier this month, Kegler pleaded guilty and was sentenced to jail for trying to assault a police officer in Salt Lake City, according to court records. His previous criminal history in Utah includes criminal trespassing in 2009 and communications fraud in 2008.
There was no indication that the beating death was related to an earlier shooting, about 2 a.m. near 600 South and 200 West. In that instance, a man suffered a gunshot wound to the stomach but was expected to survive, KUTV News reported.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert was expected to address homelessness and law enforcement issues in the Rio Grande district in a Wednesday morning meeting at the state Capitol.
Twitter: @remims