Hurricane man remains critical after shooting in trailer park

A Hurricane man remained in critical condition Wednesday, the day after he was wounded with a shotgun at a trailer park, and a second man was arrested and charged in the shooting.

Craig Manwill Bennett Jr., 31, was charged Wednesday in 5th District Court with one count of first-degree felony attempted murder.

Bennett was declared indigent and assigned a public defender. A scheduling hearing was set for Dec. 3A statement issued by Hurricane Police Chief Lynn Excell identified Bennett as a transient. He was being held in the Washington County jail in lieu of $100,000 cash bail.

Court documents alleged that Bennett approached the 48-year-old victim just before 8 p.m. on Tuesday night and made several threats.

Bennett then obtained a shotgun and shot the other man, who suffered multiple wounds, court documents state.

Witnesses reported hearing multiple shots, and also saw Bennett "attempting to get back into the victim's home using a shotgun," court documents state.

Police did not release the identity of the victim, who was found inside his trailer.

He was flown by medical helicopter to the University Trauma Unit in Las Vegas, where he remained in critical condition with gunshot wounds to the side of his head and a shoulder.

Excell said investigators found "evidence that is consistent with multiple gunshots being fired" at the trailer park scene. However, police had yet to determine a motive for the shooting and the investigation was ongoing.

remims@sltrib.com