This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Salt Lake City police are investigating a robbery that left a man with three gunshot wounds, including one to the face.
The unidentified victim was transported at about 2:30 p.m. Saturday to LDS Hospital in serious condition with two gunshot wounds to the side and one to the face, said Lt. Rich Brede.
Police throughout the Salt Lake Valley were on the lookout for a gray passenger car that fled the shooting at The Mouthpiece Company, located at 40 E. 1300 South. The suspected shooter is described as a black man, about 6 feet 2 inches tall, with red and white shoes.
Police were dispatched to a robbery that escalated into a shooting at the business. Authorities believe the suspect entered the store and got into an altercation with the victim. Both men eventually pulled guns and "several" gunshots were fired, Brede said.
"There are four holes in the wall within the store," Brede said.
Police believe the suspect also may have been wounded in the exchange. Investigators recovered a handgun and several spent bullet casings, Brede said.
The business's motto, etched in lettering on a window, advises customers to "Give them something to talk about." The store specializes in watches, chains, pendants, bracelets, rings and custom grills - jewelry worn over one's teeth.