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LAPOINT, Uintah County — One man is dead and another is recovering in a Salt Lake City hospital following a shooting Saturday in Lapoint.
Law enforcement was dispatched to a "shots fired" call about 10:30 p.m. at a home near 5000 East and 7000 North, according to Uintah County Undersheriff John Laursen. Bureau of Indian Affairs police officers reached the home first and discovered that two people had been shot.
James Edward Carey, 25, was taken by private vehicle to Uintah Basin Medical Center, where doctors were unable to revive him, Laursen said.
The second shooting victim, Jared R. Hurley, was taken to the hospital by ambulance and then transferred to a hospital in Salt Lake. Hurley, 34, is expected to survive, Laursen said.
The person suspected of shooting Carey and Hurley is still being sought by police. His name has not been released, but police have identified a white Ford F-150 club cab pickup truck in connection with the shooting. The trucks license plate is Z38 3PX.
Sheriff's detectives, Vernal police detectives, Utah Highway Patrol troopers, and state Division of Wildlife Resources conservation officers were at the home Sunday, processing the crime scene. Uintah County Attorney G. Mark Thomas was also at the home, working with investigators.
Detectives initially believed there were only four people at the home when the shooting occurred, including the two victims, Laursen said. They are now trying to track down at least 10 people who may have witnessed the shooting, he said.
Those close to Carey said he was known for his love of life and his sense of humor.
"He helped out a lot of people and he was just, he was awesome," said Angela Allmon, a friend of Carey. "He's going to be greatly missed by a lot of people and I hope everybody realizes and opens their eyes and sees what we all need to do, to make sure it doesn't happen again."
Carey was the second oldest of four brothers. His younger siblings Raefel and Jermaine said they always looked up to Carey.
"He was a great person," Jermaine Carey said. "He opened his house up to a lot of people -- helped a lot of people out."
"He was kind-hearted. He always made people laugh," said Raefel Carey.
Authorities are not discussing a possible motive for the shooting. However, Carey and Hurley both have had recent drug-related brushes with law enforcement in the Uintah Basin.
Carey was charged in May 2010 in 8th District Court with offering or arranging to distribute a controlled substance, a second-degree felony. He pleaded guilty to the charge in November in exchange for the dismissal of burglary and theft charges in an unrelated case.
Hurley was charged on May 23 in 8th District Court with possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a second-degree felony, and four misdemeanor charges. The charges stem from a May 13 traffic stop where sheriff's deputies said they located more than 54 grams of methamphetamine in a hidden compartment in the vehicle Hurley was driving.
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Story written by Geoff Liesik with contributions from Mike Anderson.
