This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 24-year-old West Valley City man, who accidentally shot himself in the pelvis — twice — during a suspected botched South Salt Lake convenience store holdup, is expected to recover.
South Salt Lake police Sgt. Gary Keller said Tuesday that the suspect, originally in critical condition after the Sunday night incident, had been stabilized, but continued to be uncooperative with detectives.
The man went into a Sinclair store at 3300 South and Main Street at 7:17 p.m. Sunday, approached the clerk purportedly to make a purchase, stepped away briefly, and then apparently shot himself while trying to pull a handgun from his waistband.
The suspect then limped out of the store, where a 34-year-old male accomplice, waiting outside, took the gun and attempted to hide it in nearby bushes, then tried to act like a curious bystander before leaving the scene. Witnesses saw through the act and told investigators what they saw; the handgun was recovered.
The suspect and his accomplice, also a West Valley City resident, went to their room at the nearby Intown Suites motel. Police and paramedics responded there after receiving a 911 call reporting a self-inflicted shooting incident.
The suspect remained in the hospital on Tuesday, while his alleged accomplice remained in Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of evidence tampering.
Keller dismissed some reports that either of the men was a concealed carry permit holder; in fact, the allegedl accomplice, at least, was a convicted felon restricted from firearm ownership.
Twitter: @remims